One Last Hope
by Aratelinwen
Summary: The sequel to The Journey to Golden Sun. Jim has accepted a new mission to go off on another adventure, but also has some personal plans of his own. All of this will reunit what was left of his last crew and bring about a fate that they cannot escape.
1. Prologue

So, here is the start of the sequel that I promised to "The Journey to Golden Sun". I hope it won't be a let down to all who loved the first one.

Disclaimer: Even though this is a sequel, Disney still owns everything to do with _Treasure Planet_…. sigh.

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

Water fell and hit the ground in more than one way in the forests of Montressor. The skies were black, with the Montressor Spaceport trying to break through with its silver light coming off of the crescent shape. This particular night was cold and stormy, as was the inside of the Dames Mansion. The only light that seemed to exist inside the great walls were that of the lightening bolts in the sky and the little candle next to a young woman, who's tears hit the pages of her diary. The young woman seemed to have had her soul ripped from her very being and was a mere shadow of her former self.

Had it really been so long ago that she had captured the heart of a young captain, just out of the academy? Did the glow from her face fade since that day not too long ago? Yes, she had returned back to her old ways of depression. Back to the days before she met Captain James Pleiades Hawkins. Where were those cliffs now? Those cliffs had almost welcomed death, but instead brought a safety in open arms with the young spacer. She could picture it now… longing for a new life from the one her aunt had put her through. The very soul in her danced around and sung up to the heavens for mercy from her wretched life. Then came the deep breath as she slipped and fell over the sides, but found herself being held onto by her dream man. Happiness had been lost to her since her parents were found dead, but rejuvenated in this young man. And now…. he's gone….

Another tear hit the page of her diary as she began to write:

_Dear Diary,_

_It's Gwen… or I should say Jen, since that was what he always called me. He was the only one to have ever called me that, except for the crew, until they found out who I really was. Since then it's always been "Miss. Dames, what can I do for you?" or "Gweneth, please give us your opinion on this…"_

_I know much has happened since I have last written down my thoughts. It has been over a year since I have last picked you up and so much has happened. Some things were good and others….. _

She paused and a tear splashed over the ink before she could even finish the sentence. The sentence could not be completed since the memory was so vivid. After a moment, and taking a deep breath, Jen picked up the pen again and continued.

_So, let me start back from the beginning. Today is the two-year anniversary of the day that we left for our quest for Golden Sun; supposedly, it was the only other planet similar to Treasure Planet. But, I have already told you the story of my journey to Golden Sun, so let us move ahead to six months after our journey ended._

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

I know, I'm cruel. But remember, appearances can be deceiving.


	2. A Valentine to Remember

Disclaimer: Disney owns my soul and everything to do with _Treasure Planet_.

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

"So, where are you headed so quickly, Jimbo?" asked Silver, as he sat in a chair by a table, smoking his pipe and watched Jim rushing around the Benbow Inn.

Before Jim could answer, B.E.N. walked in with Morph behind him and answered for him, "You didn't hear? Jimmy has a hot date tonight with Gweneth Dames."

"Oh, is that so?" questioned Silver, as he blew out some smoke. "Well, that explains why you're so dressed up."

Jim blushed a bit. "Well… tonight is kind of a big night for us. We've been together for the past nine months," he started to explain.

"And ye've hardly missed a night with her since then," interrupted Silver, smiling a bit. It was no secret that he was happy that Jim was so happy.

"Our Jimmy is head over heels in love," said B.E.N. as he laid out two mugs for Jim and Silver on the table.

"Come on, guys…." said Jim, trying very hard not to get embarrassed.

"Yes, leave him alone about his relationship with Miss. Dames," said Sarah, as she walked down the staircase and walked over to her son. "Fix your collar, Jim," she said, as she went to go and fix it for him.

"Mom…." said Jim, trying to escape his mother and get over to the mirror to make sure that his hair looked good.

"You look very handsome," replied, Sarah, standing next to Silver and smiling at her son's reflection.

"Yer mother be right, Jimbo. And yer girl will be all over you," replied Silver, grinning, as Sarah looked up at him with a shocked expression. "Well… not like that," added Silver, trying to correct his mistake.

"I'd hope Mr. Hawkins would have more respect for the young lady than that," said Amelia, standing in the doorway with her husband, Dr. Delbert Doppler.

"How does everyone know that I have a date with Jen?" asked Jim, now seeing the crowded room.

"Date! Date!" mimicked Morph as he turned into a miniature Jen near Jim, which made the young captain smile some.

"I believe I told you earlier, Jimbo. We can't separate the two of ya," replied Silver, going over to Jim and putting his cyborg arm around him.

"I know… I know… but, come on, guys, it's nothing out of the ordinary for me tonight," said Jim, as he went to grab the mug and take a drink from it.

"On the contrary, Jim, today is Valentine's Day. We know you have something planned," said Doppler, walking in with Amelia.

"Maybe I do…. And maybe I don't, but it shouldn't matter to you too. Only to Jen," said Jim, and he put two things in his pocket, which caught Silver's cyborg eye. "Well, I have to get going or I'm going to be late," added Jim, as he headed towards the door in a quickened pace.

"Wait, Jim," said Sarah, as her son turned towards her and she rushed over to him with a bouquet of roses. "You almost forgot these," she added and handed them to him.

Jim took a deep breath to calm down, then smiled and kissed his mom on the cheek. "Thanks, Mom," he said and then looked over at everyone. "I'll see you guys later," Jim said then walked out the door.

"I can't believe our Jimmy is growing up," said B.E.N. and then broke down into tears on Doppler's shoulder, who gave a shocked look as he tried to push the robot away from him.

Silver then stepped out after Jim, to sit outside, wait on his friend to return from his date, and to smoke his pipe some more. "I hope you know what yer doing, Jimbo. I surely am," said Silver, as he smoked his pipe and thought about what Jim had put in his pocket earlier.

Jen was dusting in her living room, moving things around. She was still trying to put her old life together; of course, this didn't mean that she was giving up her new life with Captain Hawkins. It all seemed perfect now. Her aunt was gone, she met the love of her life out in space on a treasure hunt, and now she was back home. Life could not get any more perfect.

She then let out a dreamy sigh and fell into her chair, just to hear a knock at her door. "Who's there?" she called.

"Special delivery for a Miss. Gweneth Dames!" replied the voice from the other side of the door.

"Hmm…. That's funny. I wasn't expecting anything," Jen said as she stood up and opened the door.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Gwen" said the young spacer, dressed in his white, clean cut uniform.

"Oh, Jim, you shouldn't have," said Jen, as she leaned in to give him a hug, and he handed her a dozen roses of the most exotic colors she had ever laid her eyes on. "They're beautiful," she said, as she took in the scent.

"Only for my Gwen," replied Jim, as he kissed her cheek.

"Jim, how many times must I insist that you call me Jen?" asked Jen with a smile.

"At least one more time, as always," replied Jim, grinning, because it was his favorite game to play with her. He knew that he was the only one allowed to call her "Jen", and she loved it when he did.

"You're too much, Captain Hawkins," Jen said sweetly as she let him in. "So, are there any plans for tonight?"

"Of course, it's Valentine's Day, why wouldn't I have any?" asked Jim, grinning.

"Care to tell me what they are?" asked Jen.

"Well, why don't you go and get changed and then I'll tell you all about them," responded Jim, as he took a seat.

Jen raised an eyebrow at him, but decided to humor him. "Alright, I'll go and get changed while you wait here," she responded.

"Fair enough," said Jim, as he relaxed. "Just don't take longer than an hour," and he winked.

Jen couldn't help but laugh at that comment. She knew that he knew it did not take her very long to get ready, but this one time she decided to take her time. "I'll be back in a minute," she said and kissed his cheek then went up to her room to get changed.

Jim sat around and played around with what was in his pocket. There were two little boxes and he wanted to make sure he pulled out the right one, so he pulled out the one box to look at it. Thankfully, he had two different symbols on the boxes so he knew which one to use. After a moment of looking at the symbol, he slipped that box back into his pocket and pulled the other one out. He let out a sigh of relief that Jen hadn't come down when he was doing that. "Hopefully it won't take much longer for her to get ready," said Jim, thinking he was alone.

"Can I grant your wish, Captain?" said Jen, standing up at the top of the staircase, smiling down at him.

The young man looked up to see her dressed in a violet, glittery gown that fit her figure perfectly all the way down to the floor with a short train behind it. There were no sleeves, but there was a midnight blue shawl held together by a blue rose broach that gently hung off of the shoulders. Her shoes were platinum silver heels that seemed to be connected by little mirrors. Finally, her hair was done up with a pin that held a rose similar to the one on her broach. The make up on her face was light and elegant with blue eye shadow and light red rouge covered her cheeks. A darker shade of red lipstick with a light gloss adorned her lips and little bits of sparkle splashed her face, neck, and chest. "Wow…." was the only thing that could escape Jim's lips.

"Is it that bad?" asked Jen, about to go back towards her room.

"No… no! You look… wow…" said Jim, who was speechless at the moment.

Jen blushed some and then made her way down the staircase towards him. "I'll take that as a compliment, Captain Hawkins," she stated, as she came to a stop in front of him. "So, where are we going?"

Jim shook his head to get his mind back on track then said, "Before I tell you that I need you to look in the mirror," and he led her in front of the mirror.

"How many more surprises can you bestow upon me, good sir?" asked Jen, looking in the mirror.

"At least a few more," said Jim, as he opened the little box and then draped a gold chain around Jen's neck with a little pendent attached. "Happy Valentine's Day, Jen."

Jen gasped and looked at the pendent which was a little heart made of rubies and diamonds. "Jim… oh my gosh… this is wonderful!" exclaimed Jen, and she turned around and wrapped her arms around him and kissed him.

"I'm glad you like it," said Jim, who returned the hug and kiss.

"But, how could you afford it?" she asked, still shocked that he got her the beautiful necklace.

"Does it really matter?" he responded. "I thought that when you love someone, it doesn't matter how much you spend on the other."

The shocked girl nodded and kept him in the hug. "So it must be a really special place you are taking me to, to have bought this for me," Jen said.

"Of course it's special, only the best for my girl," responded Jim, grinning, and Jen blushed. "So, if we don't want to miss our reservation, we better get going," he added and then led Jen out.

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

It's definitely going to be a special night, so stay tuned to see what will happen.

Please do not forget to review.


	3. For Every Choice, There is a Consequence

Sorry it took so long for an update, but work took over my life and then after the New Year started school took over, so I have not had a chance to update any of my stories until this week. I hope it was well worth the wait for everyone though. So, enjoy!

Disclaimer: Disney still owns everything to do with _Treasure Planet, _except maybe the writing in this chapter.

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

Silver sat outside on the ground, smoking his pipe and looking up at the stars. He had been contemplating everything he had seen that night, and all of the thoughts eased their ways into his mind. "It's a funny t'ing..." he said, thinking he was alone.

"What is?" asked Sarah, who stood in the doorway, looking out at him.

Sitting up, quickly, because of the shock, Silver turned around and smiled at Sarah, as she walked over, then turned his attention back to the night sky. " How everyt'ing looks so diff'rent from where ye stand. From here, the stars are so tiny, ye could grab them in yer hand. But out there… ye can truly see them for what they are." He let out a puff of smoke, before continuing. "Sometimes ye have to travel the galaxy before ye find just what yer looking fer… and sometimes it's right in front of yer very nose, but the time spent looking for it makes it all the more worthwhile."

Sarah walked over to Silver, understanding what he was saying, but not fully wanting to believe it. "Do you think Miss Dames is what Jim needs to be happy the rest of his life?"

Silver let out a small laugh and smiled. "I'm most certain of that, Miss. Hawkins. I'm most certain of that."

"Right this way," said the maître d', and he slithered ahead of the two lovebirds over to a table out on the balcony. "Will this be up to your satisfaction, Captain?"

Jim turned to ask Jen on her thoughts, but he could see in her eyes, that he did not need to ask her. "It's perfect," he responded with a smile and then helped Jen into her seat.

The maître d', passed out the menus to the young couple with his tentacle arms and bowed to them, which caused his toupee to slip a bit, and he fixed it. "You're waiter will be over shortly, and if you need anything else, be sure to let me know immediately. I hope that you both will enjoy your dinner," he said, then slithered back to the front of the fancy restaurant.

The captain then looked over his menu, when his eyes glanced up and he grinned. He peered over his menu to see Jen looking around the place and how her expression was just in awe of their surroundings. This led to his grin getting bigger than it was, and he then put down his menu and spoke up. "You know, I've heard that it's easier to order if you look over a menu."

Jen laughed a bit at his comment and picked up her menu. "I'm sorry, Jim, it's just that this place… this evening… everything just looks wonderful."

"Especially you," chimed in Jim, before she could get another word in. She then put her hand up to her face to cover up her blush that was coming out. He then reached across to take her hand and kiss it. "Don't. I like the blush on you," he added in, grinning more.

"Oh, Jim… you really are too much," Jen said and then pulled up her menu to look it over.

Jim leaned back in his chair, with his elbow on the table and resting his chin in his hand, he looked over his girlfriend, just smiling. He could not believe they had known each other just a year and a half, yet it had felt like he had been with her all of his life. Slowly he moved his free hand in his pocket, to play around with the little box that he kept hidden. Was tonight the night? Should he wait any longer? Is this really, what he wanted right now? No, he wanted it long ago. Tonight was just a procrastination of what he should have done back when they first met. He just wanted to be a gentleman, with enough courtesy and thoughtfulness, to wait this long and not to pressure her into something that she might not have been ready for back then. However, the real question was, is she ready for this now?

The thought crossed his mind as he played with the little box in his pocket. They were both still fairly young. In fact, they were just shy of twenty years and even though Jim had a good idea as to what he was going to do for the rest of his life, Jen was still troubled with the question. He had trained to be a spacer and a captain in the finest academy, while she was trying to pull her life together. A decision like this could mess up their entire lives and might even ruin their relationship. That was the last thing that Jim wanted to happen.

"Jim…"

The spacer looked up, the sound bringing him out of his deep thoughts, and back into the present. He quickly withdrew his hand from his pocket and looked up at Jen, who had a worried expression over her face.

"Are you alright?" she asked him.

Jim looked around for a moment, to re-affirm his co-ordinates and what he was doing at the current moment, before nodding his head a bit. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Oh, good. You had me worried there for a moment," Jen started, as she took his hand in her own. "It seemed as if you had something on your mind that was troubling you."

"No… nothing was troubling me, but I did…" started Jim.

"Are you ready to order?" interrupted a man, similar to the structure of the maître d', but with slightly dirtier clothes, a pad and pen, and real hair.

"Uh… yeah," answered Jim, after a moment of getting his bearings straight.

Now was not the best time to even think about this. If he were going to do it, it would have to wait until later… at a time when they had a little more privacy and less interruptions. Maybe then, she would be a little more open to the idea. She would not feel as pressured to give an answer that affected both of their futures and maybe she would feel more comfortable with her answer. Timing was everything.

"So what will it be for the lovely couple?" asked the waiter, with pen in one tentacle and his notepad in the other, ready to jot down the notes.

"I think we'll have a bottle of Brandybine and two squalisters, right Jen?" Jim ordered then looked over at Jen to make sure, and she nodded. "Then I guess that's it for now."

The waiter bowed his head, gathered up the menus and then went on his way.

"So, what were you thinking about?"

Jim looked over at Jen for a moment, after she had asked him the question, debating on telling her or not. Should he do it now, or should he wait a little longer? "Oh, nothing," popped out of his mouth before he could think on the subject any longer. "It was nothing of importance," and he gave her a reassuring smile.

_Liar!_ How could he lie to Jen like that? To the one that he loved more than anything. He battled with his conscience over if it was the right thing to do. Was it? For the time being it was. He did not want to do it just yet. He had to time it perfectly or he may not get the right answer. Nevertheless, he was still lying to her.

Then again, for almost a year, she had lied to him about who she was. It would be just as fair for him to lie to her, since she had done to him. The only difference was the situation that they were in.

"I'll be right back," said Jen, once again breaking his thoughts.

"All right," said Jim, standing up with her. "Take your time," and he kissed her forehead, before sitting back down and watching her leave.

He took a deep breath. Was she onto him about his little secret? No, she could not be. He just had to keep a calm composure and the time would come for him to bring it up. "Now, how do I pull this off?" he asked himself and looked around. There was the front, the kitchen, an outside balcony with… that was it! As soon as dinner was over, he would take her out there.

All of a sudden, a pair of hands covered Jim's eyes, and he jumped. "Who's there?"

A voice then whispered in his ear, "Someone from your dreams," and then he felt a gentle kiss on his cheek. "Happy Valentine's Day, spacer."

Jim then opened up his eyes and Jen placed a small package, which was wrapped up in a bow, in front of him. He looked up at her for a moment, and seeing her smile, figured it was all right to open it up then. So, he carefully un-wrapped the gift and pulled out an old-fashioned compass. "Look on the back," he heard in his ear and then turned it over to read "To my loving captain. May this always lead you home," engraved into the bronze coating.

He closed his eyes for a moment, to keep from letting tears form and then whispered, "Thank you, Jen. I love it," and he turned around and kissed her.

Jen smiled and then took her seat. "When I was going through my father's things, I saw this and instantly thought of you. So, I had it cleaned up and took it over to get it inscribed just for you," she explained.

The young man smiled, as he ran his fingertips over the inscription. "I'll keep this on me forever," he said, and then thought to himself for a few moments. He could not wait any longer, especially after receiving this gift. She had to have wanted this as much as she had. If she did not, she would not have given him something as meaningful. "Jen, I need to tell you something…" he began.

"Bon apatite," said the waiter as he set the plates down with two of his tentacles and with another two, he opened up the bottle of Champaign and poured the liquid into the two glasses for them.

"Enjoy," said Jim, smiling.

Back to the original plan. He could wait until after dinner to talk to her. All that there was to do now was to enjoy his meal and the company.

"So, have you heard any news of your next adventure?" asked Jen, breaking the silence.

"Nothing yet," replied Jim, as he took a sip of his drink. "Everything has seemed pretty quiet since our last adventure. I think they're just scared to send me out again after everything that happened."

Jen could not help but laugh a bit. "That's ridiculous. It's been several months since that happened. They should let you go out again."

"Yeah, it would be nice to set sail again, but I'd be lying if I said I haven't enjoyed these past few months without the sailing," he said with a broad grin on his face.

Jen smiled and jumped into her next comment before she could blush. "Well, then, I guess I'm just going to have to buy you a ship next Valentine's Day to go along with your new compass."

At the moment, Jim knew he could not wait any longer, and slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out enough money to cover for the meal and service then stood up and offered his hand. "Come with me."

The young woman raised an eyebrow at him, then slowly took his hand and stood up. She was wondering what was going through his head and why he wanted to take her somewhere else in such a hurry.

Jim then led her over to the balcony, where it was secluded from the rest of the guests at the restaurant. "You know, when I was little, I'd lie out on the roof of the Benbow and look up at the sky. All of those stars would be up there, and some of them formed pictures in my mind, so I would name them," he began, the pointed up to a little constellation that he had put together. "That one right there was Chara, because every time I saw her in the sky, she'd bring me some kind of happiness, which was pretty rare. You see those five stars forming a "V" with the center one being the brightest, formed her necklace. It reminded me of my mom's necklace, because every time she would open the locket, she would smile. I figured that the lady in the stars must also have a locket that would make her smile, and every time I could see her necklace, I knew that she was happy." He then turned to face Jen and looked into her eyes. "I hope tonight is worth her coming out for."

A smile escaped her lips, and before she could say anything, he picked her up and placed her on the railing. "All of my life I dreamed of being a spacer and finding the greatest treasure known to the galaxies. Up until the journey to Golden Sun, I thought that the greatest treasure was in Treasure Planet, but then I realized it was no more valuable than the rocks outside my house," Jim started, then closed his eyes and smiled. "I heard someone say once, 'Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate' and never fully understood it until back on Golden Sun." He then looked up into her eyes before continuing. "Jen, you were the greatest treasure all along. You were the treasure I dreamed of finding all those years." Reaching into his pocket, he grabbed her hand with his other hand and kneeled on the ground. "Gweneth Jennifer Dames, would you make my dreams come true and marry me?" he asked as he held the open jewelry box with the engagement ring sparkling from the inside.

Tears of happiness threatened to fall, as Jen put her free hand to her mouth, all chocked up. She found it hard to speak and after a few moments found enough of her voice to muster up one word… "Yes."

Jim looked up smiling. "Yes? You said 'Yes'?"

Jen, looked at him with a smile beaming and tears rolling down her cheeks, nodding. "Yes…"

For a moment, Jim could feel his heart fly, as he jumped up, took her in his arms and twirled her around. He then slid the ring onto her finger and whispered to her, "I love you…" And at the moment he leaned in to kiss her, and knife went flying in between the two, to cause each of them to jerk their heads back and Jen to fall to the ground. "Are you alright?" Jim asked, rushing over to her.

"Ye… Yes, I'm fine," said Jen, starting to get up, and Jim then flew to the railing, to try to see if he could find the creature that threw the knife at them.

Nothing. It was empty, except for the black of night that covered the ground. "Damnit! They're gone," he mustered, angry at what should have been the perfect moment, turned into a complete disaster.

"Jim, come look at this," said Jen standing near the knife.

Jim turned around and walked over to her, and saw that a letter was attached to the knife. He then pulled the letter off and read it, "The Solar Flares Will Intervene".

"What could it mean?" asked Jen, and Jim shook his head. He did not know, and did not want to know.

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

What could this note hold in store for our newly engaged couple? Stay tuned to find out.

A/N: The quote Jim used was obviously taken from _Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl_.

Please do not forget to leave a review.

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

Muriel Candytuft- Thanks for your input. The description of the dress in the previous chapter was very out of character for me, I usually don't do long descriptions like that, but I thought I'd try something new. I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought it was a bit out of place. As for the landscape, I figured that there would probably be at least one place on the planet that was a bit "foresty" away from the machinery. After all, the whole place can't be completely desolate. Once again, I thank you for your criticism, and I hope you are enjoying the story.

Fallow of the forest- I'm glad you enjoyed the first one and are enjoying the second one.

Kira Clyne- Like I said in my prologue, "appearances can be deceiving". And that is all I'll say to the comment concerning Jim, so as not to give away anything. As far as this becoming an emotional story, it will be a little more emotional than the previous one, but I'll do my best to keep the action in there. I hope you enjoy the rest.


	4. We Have An Announcement to Make

Disclaimer: And yet again Disney still owns everything to do with _Treasure Planet, _except my writing.

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

"Now, you're not going to tell your Mom or your friends about the note, are you?" asked Jen, as she walked back to the Benbow Inn with Jim.

"No…. or at least not now," he responded with and took both of Jen's hands in his own and looked into her eyes. "We have much bigger news to tell them then some silly note," and he could not help but grin.

Jen gave a half way smile, almost doubting him a bit, and then spoke up, "Well, not that our news isn't big, but we should consider this a bit of a threat, James."

James? The note must have really been bothering her. She would never call him by his formal name, unless she was completely serious. "Don't worry, Jen. Everything is going to be all right. I have it all under control," he said with a reassuring smile and patted the pocket in which the note now resided.

"What do ye have under control?" asked a familiar voice and Jim looked behind him to see Silver lying on the ground, propped up by his mechanical arm.

"Silver… I didn't expect anyone out here," said Jim a bit embarrassed to be caught off guard like that.

"I didn't t'ink ye would, lad," Said Silver, smiling as he got up and brushed himself off then walked over to the young couple. "Well, good evening, Miss. Dames, and might I say ye look prettier than a night sky filled with sparkling stars," he grinned and took Jen's hand to kiss it.

The young heiress could not help but giggle at the compliment. "Why, thank you, Mr. Silver, and I hope your evening is going well as well."

"Aye, it is, lass, but I'm sure it was not as good as your's," responded Silver with a wink. He then looked down as he felt something on Jen's hand. "And what do ye suppose this is?" he questioned, and lifted up her hand so that the two knew that he was talking about the ring.

"Well… umm… How about we go inside, and we'll all talk about it?" said Jim, as he motioned towards the door.

Silver raised an eyebrow, thinking he knew what was going on, but decided not to press the matter unless Jim wanted to procrastinate with his explanation. He then held the door open for them and followed in behind them, closing the door a little harder than usual to get everyone's attention. "Guess who came home tonight," he decided to add in, in case no one heard the door.

Sarah looked up from her friendly card game with Amelia and Doppler. "Oh, Jim. I'm glad you're home," she said, as she went over and hugged her son. "Are you alright? Why are you home so early?" and she gave him the once over look to make sure he was not hurt.

"Don't worry, Mom. I'm fine," said replied Jim, with a laugh, as he brushed his mom off and then ran his fingers through his hair, somewhat nervously.

"Well then, what is it?" asked Sarah, noting her son's nervous gestures.

"Yes, go on, Jim. You have our undivided attention," said Doppler as he stood up and put his hand on Amelia's shoulder.

"Well… Jen and I have something that we want to tell you," began Jim, looking around the room, incredibly nervous at breaking the news. But, why should he be nervous? After all, these were the ones who loved him more than anything. They would be happy for him and support him and Jen in their decision. What was the worst that could happen?

Scolding. That was the worst that could happen. He could see it right now. Captain Amelia would start up the whole thing, telling him that they were too young to even consider the thought of marriage. Then Doctor Doppler would chime in about how they would not be ready for the responsibilities, and Silver would sit there agreeing with them. Then his mother… he did not want to even think about how his mom would react. She would probably lose her breathe for a moment and then have to sit down in a seat. The shock of losing the rest of her family would hurt her more than Jim could even comprehend. He did not want to do that to her. He cared for his mother more than he cared for anyone, except for maybe Jen. The whole idea pained him beyond words, and for a few moments, he completely forgot that he was in the room with any of them.

All of a sudden, he then felt a gentle touch on his shoulder, that brought him back to reality. He looked over towards the owner of the hand and saw Jen giving him a reassuring smile. After that look, he knew that things would be fine in the end, no matter what happened. The ones he cared for may not agree with their decision, but in the end, he knew that they would support them no matter what. Therefore, with a deep breath, he began, "Well, Jen and I wanted to let you guys know that we're…"

Just as he was about to make the big announcement, the door to the kitchen flew open and in walked B.E.N with Morph right behind him. "Jimmy! Glad to see you home!" the wacky robot cried out, and went over and put his arm around the spacer before turning his attention to Jen. "And Gwen, don't you look great this evening! In fact, you look so great I could just…. Am I interrupting something?" asked B.E.N. when he noticed the silence and all eyes on him.

"Yes, Mr. Hawkins was just about to tell us something when you stumbled in with your loud antics," Amelia responded, with her eyes narrowed a bit at him.

"Oh… awkward… I'll just be right over here, and don't let me stop you kids. Just go on and make your announcement," said B.E.N. tiptoeing towards Silver, and the cyborg pulled him back all the way.

Jim ran his hand over his face, his thoughts all over the place now. This was harder than making the proposal to Jen in the first place. Just then, he felt Morph brush up against his cheek and heard him chirp. He looked over to see the little pink blob and smiled at him. It was certain, whenever he was feeling blue; Morph was there to cheer him up. "Thanks, Morph," he said to the little guy, and Morph flew over to perch on Silver's shoulder.

A moment later, after taking a deep breath and taking a hold of Jen's hand for support he spoke up, "We wanted to tell you that we're…."

"You're going to have a baby? Congratulations! I'll go get drinks for the happy couple… but, what a minute, if you're going to have a baby then that means…" interrupted B.E.N and before he could finish his statement, Silver slapped his mechanical hand over B.E.N.'s mouth.

"Would ye shut yer yap and listen to the boy?" commanded Silver, as everyone's mouths were still opened after what B.E.N. had said, and Jen's face had gone scarlet from embarrassment. Silver then looked up to question them, "Yer not, are ya?"

"Wha-Wha-What? No! We wouldn't… How could you think that?" replied Jim, just as shocked as everyone that B.E.N. would even think that, and with that everyone let out a sigh of relief.

"T'en what's the big announcement?" Silver finally asked.

Jim then blurted out, "We're engaged!"

The whole room fell silent. Not a sound could be heard amongst the surprised group, although Silver did manage to hide a smirk, since had figured it out during their little meeting outside with the ring and all. Soon, all eyes fell on Sarah and her reaction. She was in a chair, after the false announcement, and had looked like she was just struck by a speeding ship. Not moving… not breathing. After a moment, she stood up and walked over to Jim. "How could you?" was all she could manager to get out.

"Mom… I love her," said Jim, calmly, taking both of Jen's hands in his.

"Do you really?" Sarah repeated.

"Yes, I do," he responded with a smile on his face.

Sarah then turned her attention to Jen, who was a bit nervous at the reaction. "And do you really love him?"

"Yes, ma'am, I do… more than anything in the whole galaxy," replied Jen, hoping that Sarah would be fine with this.

The surprised mother then let a smile come to her face as she wrapped both of her arms around Jen and pulled her into a hug. "Welcome to the family, Gwen."

The equally shocked girl returned the hug after a moment and responded with, "Thank you, Mrs. Hawkins."

"Please, call me 'Mom,'" replied Sarah with a smile, and Jen met her smile with another and a nod.

Jim could then feel his breath return after his mom's kind gesture and gave a sigh of relief, letting his eyes close before hearing the several voices with, "Congratulations! We're so happy for you two!", "When's the wedding?", or "Are you two planning on having children?" The last statement and a knock on the front door brought Jim back to his senses.

"Who could that be at this time of night?" questioned Sarah, as Jim escaped the crowd and walked over to the door and opened it.

A young man, about Jim's age, with hair black as night, eyes a stormy bluish grey, and a smile that could send chills through a woman's spine stood leaning against the doorway in a calmed manner. He wore a spacer's uniform, similar to that of Jim's, but in a darker color which complimented his eyes and hair, and the look he used to the old spacer showed that they had once been acquaintances. "Hey, Jim," he said in a mildly low, cool voice.

"Taran? Taran Ardent! Is that really you?" asked Jim, with a little excitement in his voice.

The young man smiled more and then clasped his hand in Jim's hand in friendship. "Long time no see, Hawkins," he responded.

A laugh escaped Jim's mouth as he pulled his old friend into a buddy hug. "It's good to see you again, Taran," he said, and then released him and looked out to everyone. "This is Taran Ardent, my best friend from the Academy. Taran, this is my mom, Captain Amelia and her husband Dr. Delbert Doppler, B.E.N., Morph, Silver…"

"And who might this charming Vixonian be?" questioned Taran as he walked over to Jen, taking her hand and kissing it, then flashing a smile up at her to make even her swoon a little.

Jim took a step over to them, a little un-easy about Jen's reaction, and placed his hand on Taran's shoulder. "This is Gweneth Dames, my fiancé."

"Fiancé?" questioned Taran, a bit surprised. He then gently placed his hand under Jen's chin, to look into her eyes and he continued. "I can't believe someone as beautiful as you ever agreed to marry that runt over there."

Jen could not help but giggle and blush as Taran spoke that way to her, and that did not flatter Jim one bit. He then leaned over to remove Taran's hand and respond on Jen's behalf, "Well she did about an hour ago."

"Well then, my congratulations to the both of you, and I expect an invitation to the wedding." Taran laughed and hugged the both of them.

After taking a deep breath and the shake of a head, Jim decided to just put Taran's flirtatious behavior behind them. "So, since I know you're here for more than just congratulating me on my engagement, what other reasons do you have for dropping by?" asked Jim.

"What? Old friends just can't drop by any time they want?" asked Taran, a bit offended.

For a moment, Jim felt bad about questioning him. "Taran, I'm sorry…. I just…"

Taran immediately interrupted before Jim could put his thoughts together. "I knew you knew me too well," he said, grinning.

Jim let a laugh escape his mouth and the playfully hit his friend in the shoulder. "So, what's the news?"

"It seems a small ship has need of a special pick up on the far reaches of the Etherium. It's not much, they just need a skilled captain," started Taran, as he led Jim away from the others to talk.

"And they want me to do it?" asked Jim.

"Well, they came to me first, but I knew you were the better man for the job," said Taran with a grin, and Jim laughed a bit. "So, you up for it?"

"That depends. When am I leaving, returning, and how dangerous is this mission going to be?" questioned Jim, seriously considering the offer.

"If you took up the offer, you'd leave the day after tomorrow, choose your own crew no more than six members needed of course, be gone a few months… long enough to figure out the plans to your wedding, and it's a low threat voyage to the whole crew," explained Taran, and Jim thought about it. "Oh, and did I mention its great pay?"

Jim looked up, having an interested expression on his face. "Yeah?"

"Think about it…" started Taran, as he put his hands on Jim's shoulders, leaning in, kind of whispering in his ear. "You'll be set the rest of your life… no worries… no need for any other missions… unless you wanted to take them… and best of all… you won't have to depend on your wife to support you."

The last topic jumped around in Jim's mind for a moment. Did he really want to be the type of guy who had to depend on his wife's inheritance to support their family? Sure, it could support them both, but he was never the type of guy to just sit back and take anything. He always earned what he received. "I'll do it," finally came out of his mouth, and he shook Taran's hand.

"Do what?" questioned Jen, finally intervening.

"I've got my next mission," said Jim, who now had Taran's arm around his shoulders.

"Great. I'll let them know, and tomorrow you can come on down and pick out your crew," explained Taran.

"I don't need to do that. I've already got my crew right here," replied Jim with a smile.

"You do?" asked Taran, a bit confused.

"Yeah… of course, only if they want to come," said Jim, looking over at his friends.

"You know we're behind ya, Jimbo," responded Silver, with Morph on his shoulder repeating, "Right behind ya. Right behind ya."

"We wouldn't miss it for all the gold in the galaxy, Jimmy," chimed in B.E.N.

"Well, it seems I can't change your mind about them, but what about you making one little change to your roster, and letting an old friend join your crew?" asked Taran, smiling.

Jim could not hide the smile coming to his face. "Of course you can come, Taran. It'll be just like the days at the Academy."

"Yup, just like them…. Well, I hate to do this, but I best be off and getting ready for our little adventure," started Taran, and he took Jen's hand and kissed it. "Congratulations once again," and he then leaned in and kissed her cheek… ever so close to her lips, which made Jen swoon once more.

"You know, if you weren't my best friend, I might think that you were trying to steal my fiancé away from me," said Jim with a knowing grin.

"It's a good thing we're friends then," said Taran with a wink. "Well, have a good evening, everyone," and with that he took his leave.

"I should probably head home as well, Jim," said Jen, motioning towards the door ever so subtly.

Jim nodded his head and then looked at the others. "Well, I'm going to take her home now. I'll be back later," he said and kissed Sarah on the cheek.

B.E.N. went over to Jim and started to shake his hand with much enthusiasm. "Congratulations once again… and are you sure you're not having a baby?" he questioned once more.

"Yes!" said Jim, exasperated, as he pulled his hand away from the crazy robot. "We're sure. Good night, everybody," and he led Jen out the door.

"Jim?" began Jen after a few moments after they began their walk.

"Yes?"

"Do I look pregnant?" she asked, stopping and looking over her-self.

Jim just laughed and shook his head, then led her back to her house.

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

Well, it is time to get ready for this new adventure. So, just sit back, relax, and let us get under way.

Also, do not forget to leave a lovely little review. ;)

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

PearlSparrow13 and Sarah- Your wishes have been granted, and I hope you are still enjoying the store.


	5. Setting Sail

Disclaimer: And yet again Disney still owns everything to do with _Treasure Planet, _except my writing.

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

It was a clear blue morning, as Jim and Jen walked the gangplank on to the new ship for Jim's mission. "So, how does it feel to be back on a ship, Captain Hawkins?" asked Jen, nudging him a bit.

"Even better than the last time," replied Jim with a grin.

"I'm glad to hear that," said Jen, and she leaned in to kiss him then decided to steal Jim's hat off his head and then placed it on her own.

"Hey!" said Jim, with a laugh, as he saw Jen walk up behind the helm and gripping it with a grin on her face. "Are you planning on leading a mutiny against me and taking over the ship as the new captain?" he asked while walking up to her.

"What if I am?" she responded.

"Well…" Jim began as he leaned against the wheel. "I'd hope I'd be your first mate," he added with a grin and a wink.

"No, that would be me," said Taran, standing at the edge of the gangplank, leaning against the rail with his arms crossed. He flashed a smile that seemed to sparkle with the light's rays catching off of it, which made Jen try to cover a giggle.

Jim leaned back up into a standing position and looked over at his former comrade and now member of his crew, with a not amused smile. "Now, if you'd try to do that, I may have to fight you for that position," he responded, starting to walk over towards Taran.

"Is that a threat?" questioned Taran, not budging, but highly amused at the situation.

"It may be," replied the young captain, getting up in his face.

"You know if you were to fight me, I would be forced to swab the deck with you in front of your fiancé," said Taran with a grin. "Just like I did with those bullies that you could not handle back at the academy."

Upon hearing that statement, Jen raised her eyebrow at Jim, which caused his face to flush, thinking back to the days when he was new in the academy. Back when he did not want to get involved in the fighting, because he knew that his future depended on his education and if he were to be caught engaged in violent behavior, he would be expelled and never become the captain was today. Also, there was the fact that the bullies would travel in packs and, although he could face one, several of them would tear him apart. He was still growing up, but not strong enough to fight all of those creatures bigger than him. "Come on… don't bring it up in front of her. I don't want her to know about that part of my past," explained Jim in a hushed voice.

"Now, Jim. Don't you want her to know how we met?" asked Taran, with a sly grin.

"Not now… some other time, alright?" asked Jim, hoping Taran would just humor him this once.

Taran smiled and exhaled through his nose then shook his head. "Don't worry. I won't tell her today," he said in a whispered voice.

"Is there some sort of secret I should be worried about?" questioned Jen, looking over at the two and not having heard a word they said to one another.

"Nope!" exclaimed Jim as he turned around to face her. "No secrets here."

"Jim may have his moments of stupidity, but he wouldn't be so foolish as to gamble away his trust with the one he cares about more than anything. Isn't that right, Jim?" explained Taran, cocking his head towards his friend.

"Of course," said Jim, as he made his way over to Jen and took one of her hands in both of his. "I would never keep a secret from you. I almost lost you twice, and I'm not going to let a secret make me lose you completely."

Jen smiled and nodded, then closed her eyes thinking back to their last voyage together. On that voyage, she had kept the biggest secret of her life from him. When he finally found out her secret, he almost left her. So, why should not she do the same to him, if he were lying to her? She shook her head to get those terrible thoughts out of it. There was no reason to even consider that. Deep down, she knew that she could trust the young spacer with her life, which in fact at several points she did, and she knew that he kept no secrets from her.

A moment later, she opened her eyes again, and spoke. "I trust you, Jim," and he smiled up at her.

"So, what do you both think of the C.M. Apace? Beautiful little vessel, isn't she?" asked Taran, breaking up the silence the two lovebirds had formed around themselves.

"Oh… yeah," responded Jim, coming back to his senses after taking a trip out of reality into his dream world with Jen. "She looks to be in pretty good shape from the outside… haven't had a chance to look around the inside yet, but I trust your choice in vessels, Taran."

"You should, after our little project together," said Taran with a wink.

"And what project was this?" asked Jen, interested.

"Just a small group project back at the academy. We each chose a partner and planned out a voyage for ourselves which included picking out a crew, vessel, and all the details. Taran got to pick out the vessel that we would use…" started Jim.

"… And Jim got to choose the crew and "captain" the voyage," interrupted Taran.

"So, how did it turn out?" Jen questioned further.

"We received the highest grade the teacher had ever bestowed upon students. She said we were the perfect team, and with us both working together, no one need fear of a mission going astray," responded Taran.

"Well, that is definitely a good thing to know," said Jen, walking in between the two spacers. "I am glad that I will not have to worry about getting lost or destroyed in space this time around," and she winked and walked off towards the bow on the deck.

The two young men watched her walk away, as Taran let some speech escape with his breath, "She's certainly in our good and capable hands."

Jim turned his gaze over to his friend, not liking how he was talking or watching the woman he loved. Once again, he felt as if something wrong was going on, and that Taran's flirtatious behavior may be more than just his charms being put on display for a young lady. The thought stayed with him, as he kept his focus on Taran, who was now very deep in concentration on watching Jen's hips sway back and forth, as she strolled down the deck to the peak of the ship.

"You are one lucky man, James Hawkins, to have gotten your hands on that," said Taran, with his eyes still fixed on Jen.

"Now, look, Taran. I don't like how you're talking about my fiancé, and I certainly…" started Jim, starting to get angered.

"Jim," interrupted Taran, putting his hands up in front of him to defend himself. "I was just admiring a beautiful lady. I know that you both love each other, and I was just commenting that you were lucky to have found someone who is not only beautiful, but cares about you so much."

At once, Jim's angered emotions melted away into ones of guilt. "Taran, I'm sorry. I just thought…."

"You thought I was going to take her away from you, and you were threatened by my natural attraction to women," responded Taran, before Jim could get the words out.

Jim could not help but roll his eyes at the last statement, before smiling a bit and responding. "Yeah, I thought you were going to try to take away Jen."

"Do not worry, James. I would never want to hurt you by stealing the love of your life, even if it were one as exquisite as Miss. Dames," replied Taran, and he patted Jim on the back.

"Well, Mr. Hawkins, it seems to me that everyone is accounted for and we are ready to get underway," exclaimed Amelia, as she walked up on deck with Delbert Doppler by her side.

"Quite right, dear," chimed in Doppler. "It seems that we've been given an excellent launch day, if I do say so, myself."

"Great!" exclaimed Jim. "Then let's get this adventure underway. Captain Amelia, if you could… uhh… take the helm?"

"It would be my pleasure, Captain," said Amelia with a nod and smile, stepping up to the helm. "Where to?"

"Set the co-ordinates for 7512," said Jim, standing next to her, and Amelia did just that. He then looked down the stairwell and yelled down to B.E.N. "Engage the artificial gravity!"

B.E.N. who was wandering around down below heard Jim and walked over to the lever for the artificial gravity. "Engaging artificial gravity, Captain Jimmy, sir!" he yelled back up to the captain.

Jim shook his head at the title that the crazy robot liked to call him. He was still a little annoyed by the nickname, but now it was starting to grow on him. Anyways, what did he care? He was happier now than he used to be, and the little things like an annoying nickname did not seem to bother him as much as they used to.

The spacer than made his way over to the railing, to take a look over the side as they began to disembark from the docks of the Montressore Spaceport. He could not believe that not only was he on another mission, but this time he was engaged and soon to be married. Things were beginning to change his life around, and this time he seemed to be happy about those changes. "Well, I better have a look around below before we get too far away," said Jim, heading for the stairwell.

"I will then see you soon, as I am sure you still have many questions to ask of me," responded Taran with a nod.

"Yeah, well… see ya," Jim said and walked down below the ship.

Taran stayed on deck, moving his attention back to Jen, who remained at the bow of the ship. "I wonder if she would like to hear some stories from the days at the Academy?' pondered Taran to himself, as he walked over towards her.

Meanwhile, at the high point of the stern, Silver looked down, keeping his cyborg eye on the new comer to the little group. Something did not feel right with the old cyborg, and these bad vibrations were coming off this spacer, whom seemed too perfect to be real. He had noted the way Jim had reacted as well to their earlier conversation, and knew the lad long enough to know that he would only react that way if he were truly threatened, and friends would not cause that kind of feeling amongst each other unless there was a rift between them.

A moment later, Silver felt Morph land on his shoulder, and he lifted his hand to pet his little morph. "Somt'ing doesn't feel right about him, Morph. We best be keepin' our eyes on this new comer," he said in a hushed tone, then headed down below before he could be seen spying on everyone.

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

It is the start of a new adventure and the start of tension building up in the air. Stay tuned to find out more.

Please leave a review.

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

Sarah- Thank you so much. That was the sweetest review I have ever read. And I am so very glad that you are enjoying it.

Earth Queen- Do not worry; I plan to keep going. I am glad you like this.


	6. Fortune Teller

Disclaimer: Disney still owns everything to do with _Treasure Planet, _except my characters, Jen and Taran, my ship, and my writing.

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

As Jen leaned on the railing, staring out at the vast amounts of space in front of her, she could not help but think about the newest member of the crew. There was something about him that she just could not put her finger on. She could see in his eyes that there was something very familiar from her past… almost as if they had met before. It could not have been his looks, because she surely would have remembered someone as handsome as him. Then there was his charm. Around her, Taran was very cordial and gentleman like, with an air about him that made him seem like any lady would fall head over heels for him. It was obvious that he was used to the type of behavior from a girl, when he just smiled at her reaction the first time they met.

Oh… the memory was quite vivid still, and Jen could kick herself for acting like such a fool. She had only been engaged for but an hour, and then she fell weak at the knees from the pearly white smile that flashed before her from another that was not her fiancé. Up until that moment, and since the moment she had met James Hawkins, she had not looked at another man, and never wanted to. Deep in her heart, she knew that he was the right one for her… her soul mate, but now her mind drifted to another. A person whom she barely knew and did not want to get involved with any further than as potential friends, and she only wanted to do this because Taran was one of Jim's best friends.

"Is something on your mind?" asked a voice behind her.

Jen whipped around, shocked by the silence being broken, to see Taran standing behind her. "Oh, Mr. Ardent. You scared me," she said, with one hand over her heart as she tried to control her breathing.

"I am exceedingly sorry about that," Taran said, with a smile. He then reached out and took her hand, that was pressed against her chest, and kissed the back of it. "And please do not address me as 'Mr. Ardent'. 'Taran' will do just fine. After all, you are my best friend's one true love."

"If you want, Taran," said Jen, with a smile.

"And may I be allowed to address by another name other than 'Miss. Dames'?" asked Taran.

"Yes, of course. My friends call me 'Gwen'," replied Jen.

"Except for Jim, I am sure," responded Taran.

"You seemed to have figured me out, Taran," said Jen, keeping a stance that only a lady of status could keep.

"Oh, names are just the beginning, Gwen," started Taran, and he began to give her the once over, which caused Jen to blush a bit. "From your stance I can tell that you are very proud, which could cause you to be a little headstrong, but you are also very intelligent. Not many have fooled you. Then by seeing your interactions, I can tell that you are a very caring person, which shows that all of your money has not gone straight to your head. You are also selfless, which can be told by the stories that are embedded in several of the burns that remain on your arm, that were no doubt brought about to save a loved one. And I can also tell that you have a burning passion for my best friend, which may only be broken by one person."

Jen's eyes closed tightly as she listened to him describe her and pulled down on her sleeve a bit to cover the small burns that had yet to heal from her trip to Golden Sun, just several months earlier. "You have read me very well, Taran. Yet, aside from knowing that you and Jim are very close and that you are a true gentleman, I do not know much more about you."

"In time you will learn more about me, I promise," said Taran, taking a few steps closer to her.

Her breathing quickened a bit, but Jen tried desperately to keep her composure under the pressure. It was very difficult to say the least, because Taran was probably the most handsome man that her eyes ever fell upon, and even her love for Jim seemed to give way a little when she could feel Taran's breath upon her neck.

"I also know something else about you," whispered Taran, as he leaned in and brushed back her hair to whisper in her ear. "I know that you long to live in another world where your very soul is free from all despair. Where there would never be any form of depression. A place where you could be with your parents again…"

"How… How did you…?" began Jen, now starting to back up and press herself against the railing.

"How did I know? Well, most orphans wish to re-unite with their parents, if they had known their parents long enough," he said, gently stroking her hair. "I know your heart is in the right place, which would mean that you cared for your parents deeply. You thought that once they were gone, and after the way your aunt had treated you, that there would never be another one that could love you ever again."

Jen began to calm down a bit, soothed by his calming voice. "I never told anyone. How did you know?"

"After your return from your trip to Golden Sun, the story of how your aunt attempted to murder you was all over the Halonews. For several days, the reporters talked of nothing else but the attempted demise of the richest heiress on Montressore. At first, everyone thought you were dead, and then some insane spacer announced to the hospital that you were alive," said Taran, with a wink.

A smile came to Jen's lips as she recalled the day at the hospital when she woke up to see Jim next to her. The smile then left as she remembered the tears rushing down his face and hearing his pleas for her to survive. The next thing she noticed was she felt a pair of arms wrapped around her body… embracing her. She opened her eyes to look up and see Taran holding her close in a tight hug. "What are you doing?" she questioned.

"You looked as if you needed some comfort," replied Taran with a comforting smile.

"And ye be lookin' like ye could give the lass some space," said Silver, standing behind the two.

Taran drew his arms back and looked up at the old cyborg. "I was just having a little chat with Miss. Dames," he said in his defense.

"Well the captain be wantin' a word wit her now," began Silver, and he turned to Jen. "Go on now, lass. Tell Jimbo I said 'hi'."

Jen then nodded and headed to Jim's quarters.

"Now, ye be seein' 'ere. That lass be the best t'ing to happen to Jimbo, and I won't stand 'ere and watch ye try ta hurt 'im. Understood," exclaimed Silver.

"Yes, sir, and for your information, I would never do such a thing to my friend and I will not be talked to in that way," replied Taran, and he walked away from Silver.

"Poor Jimbo…" began Silver, and he reached around with his hand to rub the back of his neck. "Poor Jimbo…."

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

And the tension just gets thicker. What is going on through Taran's mind? Stay tuned to find out.

Please don't forget to leave a review.

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

Sarah- Thank you once again for your lovely comment. I am so glad I could grip your attention like that and even more glad that you are enjoying this.


	7. Who Are You?

Wow, it seems ages since I've updated. I'm so sorry to everyone, but between college, work, shows, and working on my own original works (full screenplays and a novel), it seems all of my fanfics got shoved to the side. Thankfully, I have now graduated and have lots more free time on my hands when I'm not packing for my move. I promise, I will finish this story within the next few months.

Disclaimer: Disney still owns everything to do with _Treasure Planet, _except my characters, Jen and Taran, my ship, and my writing.

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

Sitting at his desk, Jim poured over many boring documents that had him nodding off. He painfully pressed through as many of them as possible, until he reached the profile of Taran, and he pushed it off to the side and stood up, making his way to the window. All that he could see was how Taran was staring at Jen, mesmerized by her movements. Nevertheless, this was his best friend from school. Why would he do such a thing to him? This all confused the young captain, yet it should not have been such a shock. Jim could remember how Taran acted back in school, and Jim was not always at the top of his list.

There was one time in particular when the school bully, Slayton, convinced the detention class that it was Jim's fault that they were all in there. Jim was out in the schoolyard when all of a sudden, he was surrounded by the toughest creatures in school. He was slowly backed into a corner, and his spirits lifted when he saw his best friend come rushing to his aid. A sigh of relief came from him, and the next thing he knew was Slayton lifted him up by his collar. His eyes then looked around for Taran and finally found him making his way over to the most popular girl in school. In his time of need, his best friend had ditched him for a complete stranger. It was only by luck that the headmaster showed up before anything could happen to Jim.

Jim then sighed as these memories flooded his mind, and he looked down at the ground, wishing they would flow out of his head. After a moment, something then covered his eyes, and he jumped a little, shocked. "Shh… don't worry. It's just me."

A smile crept across Jim's face as he turned around to see Jen. "I was wondering what took you so long."

"Oh… I was just having a little conversation outside. Nothing to worry about," explained Jen, as calmly as she could, and took a seat on Jim's desk.

"Was Captain Amelia explaining the responsibilities of marriage to you again?" asked Jim, leaning back in his chair with a smile on his face.

"No… actually it was your friend Taran," the young girl quietly responded.

The young captain sat up, now very curious and attentive. His eyes looked at his fiancé, and they could see that she had been shaken up. "What did he say to you?"

"Nothing… Nothing of importance…" she responded then got quiet for a moment, as Jim leaned back, still trying to figure out what had happened. "Jim. Am I easy to figure out?" she then softly asked.

He sat there for a moment, thinking over how to respond to her, as she patiently waited on an answer. "Well… you did have me fooled into thinking you were a completely different person for about a year," he finally responded with a wink.

She just laughed a bit and then responded with a smile, "I guess the saying is true. Never judge a halobook by its cover."

"You know, my mom used to tell me the same thing," he said, as he leaned back in his chair to look at her.

The young girl just sat there, the smile on her face only lasting a second longer before slowly fading, as her thoughts shifted around in her head. "I hope your mom and I will be close."

"Don't worry. She loves you," he responded and pulled her off the desk and into his lap.

"So… Captain Hawkins, was there something you wanted to see me about… or did you just want to see me?" she asked with a knowing grin.

"Ouch, Jen, that hurts," he responded in a hurt tone, as a he put his hand over his heart, and she just looked at him, not giving into his foolery. "Alright, I might be guilty of that to an extent."

"How far to an extent?" she asked, her eyes still focused as if she were a lawyer interrogating a witness.

"About…. 90%," he sheepishly responded. "I really did want to talk to you."

"What about?"

"Taran."

"Oh…" was all she could get out before she got up out of Jim's lap to cross the room.

Not even a moment passed before Jim stood up and started to go over to her. "Jen, tell me the truth. Has he done anything to you?"

Jen took a deep breath and looked at the ground. How could she tell him what was really going on when Taran was Jim's best friend? She did not want to endanger their friendship at all. However, Jim must know something to have asked her this question. All she could do was take one last deep breath before looking back up into Jim's eyes to know that there was worry behind them. "He… he was talking to me and…" and she turned away from Jim.

"Did he touch you?"

"… No… Nothing more than an embrace," she admitted, still facing away from him.

Jim then slowly put his hands on her shoulders to spin her around to face him. "Please tell me what happened."

Her body began to shake, thinking back to just minutes ago. "We were just talking and then he began to pull apart my very being," she started, and then looked up into Jim's eyes. "He was reading me like an open book… He was telling me things about myself that I had never told anyone…"

"… Even me?" Jim slowly interrupted, almost hurt that she could possibly be keeping things from him.

"Jim… there are feelings I'm still dealing with from when my parents died. I… yes, even you," she finally said, as the young captain slowly went back to his chair and sank into it. "Jim, I'm sorry. I know we agreed to be open about everything, but… I'm just not ready to get back into that part of my life with you."

That last sentence hit Jim like a knife through the heart. They were engaged to be married, and she was not willing to be completely open with him? Maybe he had rushed the proposal. Maybe they were still complete strangers to one another. Maybe she was not the one. "… I need to get back to my papers…" he quietly said, as he moved back to his desk to face the documents spread out about it.

Jen went to go and say something, but her voice got caught in her throat. She then quickly ran out of his cabin, before she could break down in tears in front of him. Of course, as soon as she made it outside the door and closed it, the water poured out of her eye, as she leaned against the back of the door. He had never spoken to her like that before, at least not since he found out who she really was at the end of their first voyage.

"Lass, are ye alright?"

The girl looked up, with red eyes, at the old cyborg, who was standing right in front of her with one hand on her shoulder. "I… I'm fine…" she tried hard to get out of her mouth, as she wiped her eyes.

"It don't look fine to me," he responded with a soft smile. If there was one other person besides Jim that Jen felt truly able to talk to, it was Silver. However, even now she did not know if she could talk to anyone.

"Jim and I… We just…" she tried hard to get the words out of her mouth, to tell Silver everything, but they would just no come out. "I'm sorry, Silver. I just can't talk about it," and she tried to run off, but he used his mechanical hand to reach out and grab her hand then pull her into a hug.

"There, there, lass. It's alright," he said, as he held her close. "Now, I want you ta know t'at when you're ready to talk, ol' Silver will be here," and he gave her a smile before letting her go.

"Thank you," she quietly got out, trying to put a smile on her face, but failing then running to her cabin.

"Maybe I best be having a word wit Jimbo," he said, as he looked at Jim's door.

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

Is Jim and Jen's engagement about to fall apart? And what would happen to the rest of the voyage if their no longer on speaking terms?

Keep reading to find out, and I promise to continue with this story and get up update up as soon as I can.

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

Sarah and Dacey- Thank you both for your kind words, and I hope the long wait was worthwhile for you both.


	8. Questioning Youself

Disclaimer: Disney still owns everything to do with _Treasure _Planet, even if they won't do anything with it. Please Disney? Can we have an awesome Blu Ray release? (Never thought I'd say that when I started this, as they didn't EXSIST back then.) *Sigh* I do own my characters, my ship, and my writing though.

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

The cabin was quiet, as Jim sat in his chair, his head in his hands pointed down towards his desk. Back to secrets. It seemed his mind drifted to this topic quite often, especially since meeting the one whole stole his heart. Of course, as of late, it seemed as if she were reverting back to her old ways. Keeping things from him. And then there was Taran, and the way that he has been acting around her. If she was not telling him everything, maybe it was because she was secretly getting closer to Taran and not in the friendly manner that Jim had hoped would happen with her and his friends.

"Why would she do this to me?" he asked, his voice muffled from covering his head.

There was then a knock on the door."Jimbo?"

"If it's not important, leave me alone," he responded to the door in the same voice.

The door then opened slightly, as Silver poked his head in. "Well, Jimbo, I think it is," he started before coming in and closing the door behind him. "What happened between you and the lass?"

This was not the topic that he wanted to discuss. He just let out a groan and then lifted his head to look at his best friend. "How is that important?"

"'How is that important? _How is that important?_'" he repeated the question back to Jim. "How can ye say t'at about the lass?"

"Look! You wouldn't understand!" Jim started to yell at his comrade, as he stood up. "You haven't had people lying to you your whole life!"

"Now, see 'ere, Jimbo," Silver started, strict in tone, but not harsh.

"Silver, I don't want to talk about it," and he turned his chair to face the windows behind him.

"Fine t'en. But you listen to me, James Hawkins, if ye don't talk to yer lass, ye'll lose her forever… and tat's a dream ye don't want ta be givin' up," the old cyborg slowly said, before he walked out, leaving the captain alone in his quarters with his thoughts.

"Miss. Dames, might I have a word with you?" asked Amelia, standing on one side of a closed door.

Jen ran her hand up along her cheek, trying to catch anymore tears that had fallen down it before responding. "Yes… Yes, ma'am," she tried to respond without the tears, as her hand went to dry her other cheek.

The former captain then opened the door and stepped into the room, making her way over to the young girl, as she sat on a hammock, hiding her face from the world. "Gweneth, I can't help but notice that you have been in the middle of a situation that… how do I put this… places you between an asteroid coming and a black hole forming with no escape."

"You couldn't be more right, Captain," Jen quietly said, as she looked up at her comrade. "It seems that no matter what I do, it won't turn out alright in the end… and it's been that way for as long as I can remember."

"Now, I know that is not true," Amelia stated before taking a seat next to Jen. "Just look at how far you have come. Had you not made at least a right decision, then you would have never made it into the relationship you have today."

"But, I've made tons of bad choices," Jen practically shouted as she jumped to her feet from the guilt that had built up.

Amelia just took a deep breath and looked up at the guilt stricken girl. "Yes…you have made some bad decisions, but so have we all. Nobody is perfect. Even myself," she said with a small smile. "However, even if a bad decision, it will still made for a reason. The question is: was that reason a good intention or bad?"

The young girl just walked over to her mirror and looked at her reflection for a few moments. She was not a scared child anymore. She was a young adult, who needed to face her own problems and be honest with the man she loved. The question was… could she be honest with herself? Jen then looked down to avoid her own reflection, because no, she could not be honest with even her own self. It would mean recalling memories that haunted her in her dreams. Horrifying images that she was not fully ready to face herself. If she could not even admit those memories to herself, how could she share them with Jim? She could still not even begin to figure out how Taran knew that much about her, and that scared her beyond words.

"I… I… I don't know. I want to say it was a good intention, but now I'm not even sure of anything anymore," she softly got out, as a tear escaped.

"I believe when you open your heart, the answer will be quite transparent," spoke Amelia, as she stood up and headed for the door.

"…Amelia?" Jen began, as the captain stopped and slowly turned to face her. "Have you ever kept a secret from Dr. Doppler?"

Amelia just smiled, "Miss. Dames, I believe I heard somewhere that a woman's heart is a vast galaxy filled with secrets and no matter how much exploring is done, not all of the secrets will be revealed to even her."

Jen smiled a little up at her friend, as Amelia turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

"How did it go?" asked Doppler, who was waiting on the other side of the door.

"I think it went… rather well," Amelia spoke.

"Well, tat's more than I can say for Jimbo," Silver spoke up, as he came upon the couple.

"Mr. Hawkins would not discuss the situation?" asked Amelia.

"He did everything in his power to avoid talking about Miss. Dames," the cyborg said, his voice a little raised.

"That's it! We're never going to be able to convince him to sort things out with her!" Doppler yelled, frantically.

"Doctor!" Amelia yelled, then grabbed his muzzle in her hand, and continued in a low voice, "We need to have an urgent meeting in the galley. It may be the only way to be able to help them."

"Just make sure that Taran fellow doesn't know about it. Nor the lad or lass," Silver quietly added, as they all quickly, but quietly left the hallway.

As they did so, Jen sat against the door, quietly crying to herself from what she had just heard in the hallway. If Jim really was through with her, then she would be through with it all.

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

Things seem to be worse and worse for the engaged couple, and not looking good for any sign of hope for their future. And if Jim really is over Jen, what is her plans?

Stay tuned to find out.

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

SolrSurfr3~ No, I'm not, and I promise I'm back to finish this.


	9. The Meeting

Disclaimer: I still don't own any of the Treasure Planet characters. Sadness.

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

"I have been thinking about it over and over, and I cannot think of a way to overcome the obstacle that now lay at hand," spoke up Amelia standing over a table that Silver and Doppler sat at in the galley.

"Dear, if I may…" Doppler interjected. "I don't believe there is anything we can do. We may have to simply allow matters of the head…heart, heart take their own course."

"But, we still need a plan of action," Amelia protested.

"Knowing the lad, if he allows the situation ta get worse, he may not be focused on all the possibilities," Silver nonchalantly intervened.

Doppler looked over at the cyborg, very confused. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

Amelia locked eyes with Silver for a brief moment, "I believe he means the new acquisition to the crew."

"Mr. Ardent? That's preposterous! Why, that young man has that stature and knowledge of the rankings of a noble, and I should know as my great, great…" began Doppler.

"But, even noblemen are ones ta watch out fer, Doc," interrupted Silver. "I just don't like how he's interferin' in Jimbo's business, nor the lass'."

The astronomer was still confused and before he could speak up, his wife asked on his behalf. "And what, pray tell, leads you this idea, Silver?"

"Let's just say, I've been keepin a close eye on 'im," the cyborg responded.

"There you guys are!" shouted B.E.N. as he came down the stairway, then screamed as he came crashing down at the ground, and the group all stood up to look at him. "I'm fine…"

"Oh, blast it!" cried Amelia, frustrated with the robot.

As B.E.N. stood up, brushing himself off, he said, "Captain Jimmy just… did I interrupt something? Because it looked like you were all…"

"What in the blue blazes did Jimbo want us fer?" questioned Silver, starting to lose his temper.

"Oh… umm… he just wanted to know where everyone went off to. I'll tell him you're all down here talking," and as B.E.N. turned to walk up the stairs, Silver grabbed him with his mechanical hand.

"Ye'll be tellin 'im that we'll be up there ta see 'im in a moment and notin' else," Silver spoke directly to the robot.

"Uhh… yes, sir," B.E.N. got out, and slowly got out of the vice grip before slowly making his way back upstairs to the deck.

"We best be getting about, lest the lad t'inks we be plannin' sometin'," Silver said, as he made his way up on the deck.

Amelia started to follow him then turned to Doppler, "Oh, and darling, I say this with the most highly possible form of respect, zip your howling screamer. We don't need for Mr. Hawkins to grow suspicious," and she made her way up, leaving a shocked and perturbed Doppler behind for a moment.

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

Are Silver's intuitions correct about the new-comer? And what does fate have in store for the two lovers. Keep reading to know more.


	10. A Past Unfurling

Disclaimer: I still don't own any of the Treasure Planet characters, Bob Iger does. Good news…. Michael Eisner does not. ;)

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

The weeks passed and there was still no hope of Jim or Jen speaking to one another. If they ran into each other, there was a deathly silence that filled the area and a few moments that remained motionless, as they looked at one another, not sure as what to say. No emotion breached their faces for those few moments. Finally they would break their gazes and move off in opposite directions. It put the crew in the most frightfully awkward moments when this did happen, which was not very often. Yes, there were times when Jim wanted to break the silence and tell her that he still loved her, or Jen wanted to spill her soul out across the room and tell him everything that she could, but it never happened. Jim had too much pride, and Jen was too scared that with one wrong word their relationship would be lost forever.

What was worst of all was this was affecting everyone's voyage. The crew would have rather Jim been off day dreaming with his fiancé than moping around his quarters, not able to focus on anything. His mind seemed to be drifting along with the ship across the Etherium, but not able to pin point anything. He tried to focus on the exact co-ordinates of their destination, but his love for sailing and adventures seemed to have been snuffed out like a light.

It was that very state he was in one afternoon, as he stared out of his window into the vast skies surrounding him. He looked out to see the stars dotting his surroundings, and his eyes took note of the five little stars that formed the infamous v shape that he had known all his life. A sigh escaped his lips, as he pressed his forehead against the glass windows. "What's so special about you coming out?" he quietly questioned the constellation, with his eyes closed. It seemed to be a big joke to those stars that his life had become so painful. The feeling was so similar to that in which he saw his father leave him, that it felt as if a knife had impaled him in the stomach over and over.

A small scratching noise than caught his attention, as he turned to see that a small envelope had been slide under his door. Had the crew really given up on him so much that they resulted to voicing their concerns on a letter? If they had, they had included something else in the letter.

The captain felt something else in the envelope under his fingers. He then opened it up to pull out the necklace he bought for Jen and the engagement ring. His heart seemed to have stopped at the sight of them back in his hands. It was only a few moments later that he found his breath again and went on to read the letter that was also enclosed.

_Jim,_

_I have wanted to tell you time and time again. Every time I saw you, I wanted to do nothing more than to hold you and cry into your shoulder as I explained everything. It's not you. It's me. There is just a part of me that does not want to share part of my life right now. I just wish you could understand that. _

_However, seeing as we're not even speaking anymore, I figured you would at least want these back. Don't worry. I will make sure that the rest of this trip goes as painless as possible for you and then depart once we return to Montressor. No need to fret._

_I guess "happily ever afters" don't always work out the way you would hope they do. _

_Sincerely,_

_Gweneth Dames_

Jim's breathing quickened, and he crumpled up the piece of paper in his hand while gripping the jewelry in his other hand. It was officially over. The secrets officially ended their relationship, and it seemed it was too late to try to salvage it.

He managed to lift up his head and look out at the constellation still in full view. "Why so happy over my misery?" he asked with disdain.

Jen quickly walked down the hall, her head in her hands that caught the tears falling from her eyes. She was only stopped when a hand took a hold of her arm, and she jerked back from the shock. Through her blurry vision, she saw Taran step forward to her. "What do you want?" she quickly asked through choked words.

"Do not worry. I just want to have a little conversation," he quietly responded and gently pulled her into a room, locking the door behind them.

"If you just want to talk, there is no need to lock the door," she spoke up quickly, while trying to dry her eyes.

"That would prove true, if I knew you were stable enough not to try to leave before we finished," he said, taking a step towards her.

Her instincts took over and countered by taking a step back from him, as her eyes lay locked with his. Any type of trust she may have had for her crew mate was gone with that one move, and all that remained was an instinct to be on her guard. Something did not feel right.

"You broke up with Jim, didn't you?"

Her eyes grew wide with fear at what Taran had just said. Hearing those words sliced thru her like a dagger. All at once it seemed as if her voice fled without a trace as her mind raced about in astonishment that he knew something that she had just done.

"It was all of those secrets that you kept. The strain was too much for the both of you. It was what tore you both apart those few weeks ago."

"How do you know all of this?" she questioned, her diplomatic composure fading.

Taran moved his hand to gently run his fingers thru her hair. "I know more about you, Gweneth, than even you know," he gently whispered.

Jen's breathing quickened as she stepped back into the wall, cornered with nowhere to retreat. "Who are you?"

He grabbed a fistful of her hair, and breathed in her scent, his cheek up against her's. "Think back over ten years ago, Gweneth, back when your parents were alive. There was someone you used to do everything with."

She stood there, trying to concentrate, but finding it so difficult with her personal space being invaded. "There… there was a boy… from the neighboring mansion. His parents used to bring him over all the time," she slowly started to get out. "I remember talking… discussion of…"

"Discussion of the two families joining," he interrupted, before placing a kiss on her neck.

A gasp escaped her lips, as she tried to push him back. "Terrence! But... but you're…"

"Supposed to be dead?" he said with a little laughter. "That was the ploy so that way the one who murdered your parents would not be coming after us," he spoke, and Jen had the most confused look on her face. "Since you and I were to be betrothed, my parents thought it best that they send me away and stage my death. After all, you were a target," and he grabbed her wrists. "Now that you're no longer marked for death, I came back to claim what was mine, and you know I always get what I want in the end." He then roughly leaned in and pressed his lips against hers with force.

After a few moments of restraining, Jen finally found the strength to push him back. "I am not a trophy, Terrence. You can't just declare that you're taking me," she declared and tried to leave, but Taran grabbed her writ in an iron grip.

"But, think about it, Gweneth. Between your inheritance and mine own, we could be the most powerful people in the galaxy. Now, I admit that the idea was nauseating when I was first told that _you_ would be my bride, but seeing how you," he began, as he slid his hand down her form. "… _matured_, I feel it is now a complete win."

"Please stop it," she pleaded, trying to break free from his grasp. "If you don't, I'll…"

"You will what? Scream for your friends? I am afraid they won't be able to help you, as they are tied up at the moment. And as for Jim…"

Jen soon felt faint, but tried to keep her legs grounded. "What about Jim?"

"Do you think he would come to your rescue after you just broke his heart?" he questioned and Jen looked down at the ground. "That is what I thought. Of course, you hurting him was probably worse than what I would ever do to him."

That brought her back to her reality. "Do to him? Why would you hurt him? You're his best friend!"

"More like his worst enemy," Taran began, as he pulled her back up and held her by her shoulders. "When he entered the academy, all of the professors stopped boasting me and turned their attention to _him_! He ruined my chances at being Valedictorian! He ruined everything about that school!" Taran shouted, then took a deep breath and smiled at her. "Friend? I only remained friends with that worthless peasant to be able to keep my name in the spotlight. And now, it is time for revenge."

"No! Leave him alone!" she screamed and slapped him across the face.

Taran moved his hand up to rub his face, as his grip tightened even more on her wrist. "Don't worry, after we're married, you will be broken."

"I'll never marry you! I love Jim!" she cried out in pain.

"Well, it will be hard to marry him if he's _dead_!" he screamed, and her eyes grew wide with fright. "When the solar flares intervene, your beloved Captain James Hawkins will be no more," and with that, he shoved her against the wall, causing her to black out.

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

With the entire crew endangered, will Jim be able to survive what Taran has in store for his demise? Stay tuned to find out.


	11. The Solar Flares Intervene

Disclaimer: Sigh… still no rights. I just work for the mouse that owns them.

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

Jim sat in his quarters, playing with the ring in between his fingers, contemplating its very meaning. He knew that the ring was supposed to be a symbol of un-dying love, and by returning this precious symbol, he wondered if Jen did not reciprocate the feelings he had. The shimmer of the precious metal reflected in the waning light, and Jim saw an image in it. It was his father leaving him and walking down to the ship, just several steps ahead of Jim, as he ran down the long pathway to try to stop him.

At this sight, the young captain dropped the ring to the ground, as he started breathing heavily. It was memories he had worked hard to suppress that now seemed to haunt him. Why did they decide to haunt him this moment, and in this small token that did not even connect with his father, in the slightest, he thought. His father had been out of his life since he was twelve years old, and the last time he reflected back on those memories were on the voyage to Treasure Planet almost five years prior to now.

He decided to shake the thoughts off and bent down to pick up the ring. His eyes stared at it closely, seeing another image appear. This time it was Jen rushing out of his cabin; just as she had done all that long ago when they got into that fight. Jim was going to lose her just like he lost his father. She would walk out of his life for good, if he did not do something soon.

"Jim?"

The poor boy jumped back, his heart pounding in his chest from the shock of the breaking of the silence. His eyes darted for the owner of the voice, as the hand with the ring in it, gripped his chest.

"Sorry, did not mean to scare you to death," said the cool voice of Taran.

"It… It's alright," said Jim, catching his breath and then sitting down in his chair, and then resting his head in his hands. "What do you want?"

"Just came in to see how my best friend is holding up. Of course, judging by your posture and tone, I can deduce that you are not much better than you were the day you decided to stop speaking to Miss. Dames," explained Taran, and Jim slowly looked up at him, his eyes seemed lost in a deep sea of hopelessness. "That much worse?" Taran began. "Women seem to have a way of toying with one's heart until it can no longer feel a beat."

The captain looked back down. "She didn't play with my heart. She just wasn't ready to open her's."

"Then it's a good thing you broke up with her. Smartest move on your professional career, if I do say so myself. No one to hold the great Captain James Hawkins back," Taran proclaimed.

"No. It was the stupidest thing I could have done. Waiting so long to apologize," Jim quietly said.

"Now that is something new. James Hawkins apologizing," Taran said with a little laughter.

"Hey!" Jim spoke up. "I only do it when I know I did something wrong."

"Then why do it now?"

Jim quietly stood up and looked him in the eye. "Because I love her, and I'm not going to lose her forever."

The young man started for the door, when his friend put his hand on his shoulder to stop him. "I have to give you credit, Jim. I didn't know you had it in you."

Captain Hawkins turned around and looked at him, with a bit of confusion in his eyes. "Had what in me?"

"All of that love for that girl. I would have thought you were with her for the money. After all, she is worth more than all the riches excavated on Montressor."

"Yeah… she is," he started in response. "…but not like that."

"It seems there is only one thing left to do," Taran spoke, as he put his hand on his comrade's shoulder.

"I'm going to go find her," the captain stated, as he walked to the door.

"She's out on the deck. I'll accompany you," said Taran, as he followed him out.

"Thanks, Taran. It means a lot to me," Jim said gratefully, as he kept on his way.

"It is no problem at all…" he responded with, as he nonchalantly picked up a sword that was leaning against the door frame on the outside of Jim's cabin, and he followed him out on the windy deck.

When Jim took a step out on the blustery deck, he squinted his eyes in the brightness of it all. He seemed to have come very close to the solar flares, almost un-knowingly. It was only after blinking a few times that he was finally able to make out what was on the deck, and the images stunned him.

There was his friends and crew, all tied up and gagged to a post. Off to the side was Silver, lying very still and the motors that connected his cyborg parts were completely turned off.

"What… What's going on?" cried out Jim at the scene.

"Jim! Look out!" shouted Jen, in a state of panic.

He quickly looked over to the side, to see her hands tied to the railing, and her gag around her neck that she had managed to loosen enough to drop down from her mouth. She had been desperately struggling to get free. However, the sight of her, through of his concentration to anything else, as he felt something kick at the back of his legs, losing all mobility to them, as he fell to the ground with a groan.

"You should have listened and not looked."

Jim looked up at the voice to see Taran standing over him, and his pained expression just grew deeper. "You… You did this?" he asked with hurt in his voice.

"Yes, although I must say, removing the cyborg's main circuit was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. Of course, it will all be worth it in the end," he spoke with a grin across his face.

Anger began to swell within Jim, as he heard his best friend explain what he did to Silver. "Leave my friends alone!" he shouted, as he tried to lounge at Taran.

Taran just took a step to the side and laughed. "Now, if I did that, how would I be able to finish what I started? In fact, I rather like them the way they are right now. Besides, it would be much easier to take what is rightfully mine," he explained, in a cool voice, as his eyes drifted towards Jen.

Jim followed his gaze, and not a moment later, knocked Taran to the ground, before running to Jen and starting to undo her bonds. "I swear, I'm going to get you out of here," he told her.

"Oh, Jim… you still care," she got out of her mouth, as the flares started to intensify around them.

He just looked into her eyes and said, "I never stopped loving you. Always know that."

A smile came to her lips, then her eyes widen with fear. "Behind you!"

The captain spun around, just in time to be kicked to the other side of the deck by Taran, who was seething with anger, as he walked over towards him, wielding the sword. Jim gripped his bleeding head, to end the spinning, before looking up the young man, who was practically on top of him. His mind was racing in all sorts of directions, as his brain tried to straighten out the spiraling images back away from the blurry mess they were in. It was only when he felt the pressure of Taran pushing his foot into Jim's stomach did the captain's mind pull back into one thing, as his eyes closed, and he groaned in pain.

"Finally, after all of these years, I will finally be rid of the biggest problem of my life," hissed the angered man, as he raised the sword, and the struggles of the tied up crew became more apparent as they tried to help their friend in need.

"Taran, why are you doing this?" yelled Jim, through gritted teeth, out at his former colleague, as he shoved the foot off of him. He then quickly attempted to get up, while keeping his hand along the side for support.

"Because you had everything that I wanted! You were always the teacher's favorite, got better grades, was Valedictorian, and got offered the mission I was supposed to get," Taran yelled back. "Now, you're engaged to the only remaining heir to the Dames' Fortune!" and he pushed Jim to the ground, keeping his sword over him. "That never should have happened. I was the one who had money. Who could have anything he wanted. You were the low class punk who didn't deserve any of it!"

Jim looked up at him with pain in his eyes. "I thought you would have been happy for me. You were my best friend!"

"That's right. 'Were' is the key word. Now, I'm going to take it all away from you," and Taran lifted his sword.

"No!" screamed Jen, as she broke free of the ropes and rushed at them.

Just then a flash of light cut into the fabric of space and time and a whirlpool effect was started. The air started to pull backwards on the poor souls tied up, and Jen fought the force to get over to Jim. She looked up for a split moment to see Taran grinning in her direction. "Don't worry, Gweneth, I will fix this problem," said Taran, and then he turned his attention back towards the young captain, laying scared to death on the ground.

Jen could feel herself being sucked into the tear in space, as she fought so hard to escape it. "Jim!" she screamed, as she saw Taran bring down the blade and then all went black.

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

What has happened to the crew? Did Taran succeed in his plans? What has become of Jim Hawkins? Stay tuned to find out!

Don't forget to leave a review.


	12. Comming to Grips With Reality

Disclaimer: Still love _Treasure Planet_…. Still don't have any of its rights.

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

On a desolate patch of ground, the crew's bodies laid strewn across. The ropes had all been torn as they had been tossed about in the vortex, and glass shards were found amongst them, as the little pink blob moved about, to check all of his friends, whimpering at the sight. It was only then that a groan was heard from the doctor, as he slowly sat up and adjusted what was left of his glasses to observe his surroundings.

His eyes slowly moved back and forth, as he took a deep breath and slowly stood up. It felt as though a quake had gone off, as his legs were still trying to keep from wobbling and throwing him off his balance. Only after a few moments of fighting the distortion, did Doppler finally regain his composure. The movement of his eyes finally stopped, as they rested on the form of his wife, and he hurried over to her aid. "Amelia? Amelia, are you alright?" he asked as he shook her.

Slowly her eyes began to open up to see her husband standing over her, with a worried expression and most of his glasses torn to bits. "Yes… Yes, I'm fine," she began as she started to sit up with Doppler's help. "Nothing more than a slight bruising."

"That's what you always say," he responded with a smile, and one came to her lips.

"How are the others?" asked Amelia.

Doppler took a look around to see the cyborg was a pile of mess and that the robot was not too far off from him, with his wires all crossed around him. It would take a little while, but he could manage to fix B.E.N. to the point of bringing most life back to him, thanks to Jim for showing him a little bit of the skills that he knew mechanically. "It appears B.E.N. could be fixed up a bit, but Silver… we need to find an expert that knows how to handle delicate situations like his," Doppler began to explain, as Morph flew passed the two and brushed up against Silver's cheek, whimpering.

"What of Miss. Dames?" the former captain inquired, as she stood up.

Frantically the doctor began looking around. Could it be that she had managed to stay on the ship with Jim and Taran? Or maybe she had been thrown out onto another planet or adrift in the Etherium, all by herself. If that had happened, none of the crew could ever forgive themselves. It would have been that they had let down their captain and comrade. Sadly, they had let him down once by not being able to save him in his time of need, but with him gone, deep down they knew that they had to protect the ones he loved more than life itself.

His focus then finally narrowed in on the young girl's body lying incredibly still on the ground, separated from the rest of the group. He hurried over to her, with Amelia slowly following him. "Miss. Dames…" he called, as he gently shook her, to get no reaction. "Gweneth, if you can hear me, please do something!"

Amelia then looked over to see a tear slowly roll down Jen's face and hit the dusty ground. "Miss. Dames…"

"Please… leave me alone…" Jen quietly spoke through tears.

The former captain took a seat next to the young woman and rested her hand upon her arm. "I understand what you're going through, truly. Mr. Hawkins meant a great deal to us all. He was a…" she began, before clearing her throat as the words got caught up in it. "… a fine young man… who…"

"You don't understand," cried out Jen, as she sat up to look at Amelia. "He was all that was left of my world! First my parents… and just when I am starting to move on with my life, because he came into it… He's gone!" and her quiet tears became sobs.

Doppler looked over to meet Amelia's eyes for a moment, before she closed them then turned to focus her attention back on Jen. "I do understand… I have lost many exceptional crew mates, but the final blow was dealt when I lost my right hand man and first mate," she started to explain, while trying not to get chocked up, and Doppler put his arm around her, knowing she was talking about Mr. Arrow. "Life presents us with obstacles that we must overcome…"

Jen stood up and faced them with her tear stained face, interrupting the wiser Amelia. "I don't want to overcome any more obstacles! I want to live the life I've dreamed of since I was on the SS Audacity!" and she paused in her crying to wipe her face. "That dream is now over… I will never be able to go back to it, and now I have to return to tell Mrs. Hawkins that her son is gone and it's my fault."

"Now, Miss. Dames, you know that is not true," spoke up Doppler.

"No. That is the only amount of truth that is left that I will believe," she quietly started and then looked away from her shipmates. "If I hadn't been blinded then maybe my memories would have reminded me of just exactly who Taran was."

"I take it you knew the young man," stated Amelia, standing up.

The young girl tightly closed her eyes, more tears threatening to fall, but this time from anger. "We were childhood friends, only… I believed him dead. Had I known he was alive and had every intention of going to the extremes of making true what are parents wanted of us…" and her voice cut off. The very idea was too painful to bring out.

"Ah… yes. I remember reading in the HaloNews about the announced betrothal amongst you and… I believe his name was Terrance Opulent. But, he died," explained Doppler.

"That was what his family wanted everyone to believe," Jen said, looking down.

"But, why come forward after all of these years?" wondered the doctor.

All Jen could do was wrap her arms around herself, scared to state anymore than she had. Her stomach had been twisted into knots and her heart ached at all of the events and new found knowledge that had come to her in the past day. All she wanted to do at this point was bottle up about everything she knew, and it was becoming apparent to the others, as she heard Amelia whisper to Doppler, "Come now. We will continue this chat another time, for now, we need to find a way home," and then their footsteps slowly walking away from her.

All alone, the memories filled her mind from everything that Taran had said to her and the look on Jim's face as he tried desperately to save her while coming face to face with his own demise. A chill ran up her spine, as she clutched even more at her body, almost pinching herself to wake her up from this terrible nightmare. Why could it not just be one? Of course, it was only going to continue. All she could do was look towards the future of that one visit to the Benbow Inn and giving the worst news possible.

Her eyes then shut tight and the memories hit harder and harder until she could no longer remember how to take in oxygen and her body finally gave out, coming crashing to the ground.

Feeling a wet cloth against her forehead, Jen slowly began to move her head, and she could barely make out words that sounded like several others were standing around her. The words seemed to be filled with shock and surprise that only would be uttered if someone had come back from the dead.

"Gwen, can you hear me?"

That voice was so familiar. Jen tried hard to place it, but could not. She then attempted to open her eyes with much difficulty. It was as if she had been asleep most of her life, and this very notion of living was all new to her. Every muscle ached with a slight movement, because it had been frozen for so long. However, how long that was, was still un-known to the young girl. All she knew was that it hurt to be alive, and she much rather enjoyed the peace that she seemed to experience when she was in the death like state.

"Sarah, try once more. She seems to be coming out of it," stated a voice with authority.

All of the owners of the voices seemed to be coming clearer in Jen's mind, although it was still a bit fuzzy to her. Of course, now that she made a motion, it was too late to retreat back into the comatose state. She once again attempted to open her eyes, with a little more ease, but still found it too hard to do such a simple task.

"Gwen, please speak to us…."

"Mrs. Hawkins….?" Jen barely whispered. Her lips faintly moved, but it was easier than opening her eyes or moving another part of her body. What surprised her the most was being able to put a name to the voice that she had not heard in months.

A sigh of relief came from the inn owner as she gently padded the young girl's face with the cool cloth. "Thank goodness. We were beginning to think you had left us too…" Sarah started.

"Too?" Jen questioned and finally opened up her eyes, to try to see who was there. Standing beside Sarah was Dr. Doppler with his arms around Amelia. B.E.N. was quietly waiting to the side, which was very unusual for him. Finally there was Silver, sitting in a chair, with his eye fixated sadly on her, as Morph finally left his side and flew over to brush against Jen's cheek. She could finally pull her memory together enough to realize that she was in one of the room's of the Benbow Inn.

"Gweneth, do you not remember?" asked Doppler, finally breaking her concentration to respond to her question.

Jen tried to search her mind, which had gone to sleep when she had. Most everything was a blur to her. Even remembering the faces of those around her was a struggle. However, deep down in her heart, she knew someone was missing. Someone who was very important to her. Who could it be? Her eyes then widened as the memories started flooding back to her and all she could remember was screaming out Jim's name. "Mrs. Hawkins, Jim…."

"I know," Sarah started, cutting her off. "I know, Gwen," she continued, trying to not let tears fall.

Everyone could tell that Sarah had spent many an hour sobbing, and it showed in her tired, red eyes. The last of her family was gone, and she was all alone in the world, just like Jen. In fact, it was amazing how much these two women shared in common, aside from their love of Jim. Now, it is that common bond that they both will hold onto so dearly, as Jen reached out her hand to take Sarah's hand. "I'm so sorry… I wish I could have stopped him."

Sarah just swallowed a pocketful of air, as she tried to keep from weeping again. "I… I'm sure you did."

The young girl could see that she was of no help, and slowly pulled her hand back, as she struggled and fought the pain to sit up. If Jim was no longer with her, she wanted nothing more to do with any of this. All of these things… these people… brought back memories of him. Memories that she wished she could just forget. All she needed to do was bite her lip to keep from screaming and manage to walk home.

As she crawled out of bed, which seemed to have been much easier than she thought, as most everyone was trying to comfort Sarah, a mechanical hand grabbed her shoulder, and she attempted to stifle a scream. "And where do ya t'ink yer goin, lass?" questioned the old cyborg.

Jen turned her head up to look at her friend, the desperation coming thru her eyes. "Please… I just need to go home."

Silver looked deep into her eyes to try to understand just what was going through her mind. After a moment, he knew it would be best for her to just have a bit of time to grieve in solitude. Although he was incapacitated while Taran was committing mutiny aboard the ship and was not able to see Jim and Jen make up in their final moments together, he always knew deep down that they still loved each other. He then slowly removed his hand from her shoulder and spoke quietly, "Take care of yerself, lass."

All she could do was draw a deep breath to keep herself from crying and turned to walk out of the room, when she was stopped by a voice calling her name. "Gwen…." At that sound, Jen turned her head to face Sarah, who was coming over to her and hugged her. "Please, don't be a stranger here. No matter what happens, you will always be like the daughter I never had," she whispered to her.

The young girl became more choked up, as she slowly returned the embrace. She wanted to utter "thank you" or " you'll always be a mother to me" or a thousand other things, but found when she opened her mouth all she wanted to do was sob. So, she quickly turned out of the embrace and fled the Benbow Inn, not stopping until she reached the solitude of her own home.

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

What will become of everyone as they now start to accept that that Jim just might actually be gone? And if Taran survived, where is he and what is he up to? Stay tuned to find out.

Don't forget about reviews.

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

TinyDancer365- I'm so glad you love this story. I hope this chapter was worth the wait.


	13. The Trials of Juliet

Disclaimer: For once, a chapter that is mostly mine… but still not all the nods and characters of _Treasure Planet_.

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

Lightening filled the sky and a crack of thunder echoed through the Dames Mansion, as tears covered the pages of the diary that Jen had been writing in. Ink ran down the sides of the pages as the owner of the sobs tried to finally control her sobbing and dried her eyes with the handkerchief that was sitting on the end table beside her. Her tired eyes then looked up to reach 12:05am on the clock on the mantle. Had she really been writing all day and well into the night? Yes… she had, and it had been storming all day as well. It was as if someone knew her pain and was letting her know she was not the only one going through it.

She then picked up the pen again and continued to write.

_2 years and one day since that faithful trip started… and it has been one month to the day since I awoke in the Benbow Inn. Who truly knows how long it has been since I last laid eyes on Captain Hawkins. They told me I had been out cold for several weeks, but even the journey seemed a complete blur to most all of us now. The only reason I took notice of the dates was because of the HaloNews that arrives on my doorstep daily, and that has been nothing short of a bother. It seems ever since our return, there has always been at least one story on the disappearance of Captain James Hawkins and the manhunt underway for Terrance Opulent, who is now wanted for murder and attempted murder. _

Murder. The word rang through her mind like a bell that could not be silenced. It haunted her day in and day out. All the people she loved were _murdered_.

_Everyone attempts to visit me, Mrs. Hawkins and Silver more than anyone else. I want nothing more to do with them, because every time I so much as even hear their voices, my soul seems to shatter once more with memories. At first I called through the door to "leave me alone", and now I just ignore them. Silver has threatened that if I don't make my presence known by this weekend, he will break down the door just to make sure I am alright. I'm not worried…_

Jen then took a deep breath and went to go and turn the page, only to find that there was one page left of her diary. One page was all she needed.

_I've often dreamed, as of late, that he was on his way… traveling the galaxies… to return home to me. He had worn in appearance and health, but he kept fighting and calling out, "I'm coming, Jen! I'm still here! Don't forget that!" _

A single tear then hit the page, as Jen quickly moved the handkerchief to her eye to dry it.

_I want to believe it so much, but with each passing day, the hope in me fades and the light is almost put out. He's never coming home, and I shall never see him again… as long as I remain here. _

She then drew a deep breath before continuing on, as the words were becoming more and more difficult to write.

_With this vow, I swear to join Captain James Pleiades Hawkins… whether it be in this life or the next. And to whomever finds this diary, may you ever keep the truth alive of the courageous spacer and young heiress, and their story of how they risked their lives to keep their love eternal._

_Forever yours,  
Gweneth Jennifer Dames_

And with that, she closed the book and placed it on the table with a single rose gently laid out on top of it. She stood up, and started to walk around her mansion, reflecting on the good times with a smile. Her parents coming home after being out on one of their business excursions. Her first real date with Jim. The special Valentine's Day surprise he had planned for them and the proposal that soon followed suit. A frown then came to her face, not feeling the ring on her finger anymore. She then turned her head to a dark room, covered in several inches of dust, because she refused to touch it. Visions filled her mind as she saw a dark figure shooting her parents in there. Her tiny little voice filled the room, screaming, "Mommy! Daddy!" as she raced to cling onto her parents' limp bodies and cried over them, as the figure disappeared, hearing the racing footsteps from the neighbors running over.

These visions brought tears back to her eyes, as more filled from just recently of her last days on the ship in great detail.

"_Taran, why are you doing this?" yelled Jim, through gritted teeth, out at his former colleague, as he shoved the foot off of him. He then quickly attempted to get up, while keeping his hand along the side for support. _

"_Because you had everything that I wanted! You were always the teacher's favorite, got better grades, was Valedictorian, and got offered the mission I was supposed to get," Taran yelled back. "Now, you're engaged to the only remaining heir to the Dames' Fortune!" and he pushed Jim to the ground, keeping his sword over him. "That never should have happened. I was the one who had money. Who could have anything he wanted. You were the low class punk who didn't deserve any of it!"_

_Jim looked up at him with pain in his eyes. "I thought you would have been happy for me. You were my best friend!"_

"_That's right. 'Were' is the key word. Now, I'm going to take it all away from you," and Taran lifted his sword._

"_No!" screamed Jen, as she broke free of the ropes and rushed at them. _

_Just then a flash of light cut into the fabric of space and time and a whirlpool effect was started. The air started to pull backwards on the poor souls tied up, and Jen fought the force to get over to Jim. She looked up for a split moment to see Taran grinning in her direction. "Don't worry, Gweneth, I will fix this problem," said Taran, and then he turned his attention back towards the young captain, laying scared to death on the ground._

_Jen could feel herself being sucked into the tear in space, as she fought so hard to escape it. "Jim!" she screamed, as she saw Taran bring down the blade and then all went black. _

She then fell to the ground, in sobs, unable to bear these memories anymore. "Please… stop haunting me… I need to end this now…." she barely got out, and forced herself to shakily stand. The young girl then slowly made her way over to a drawer, where she opened it and pulled out a little vile that had been hidden from the world. It was something she acquired as a child that was supposed to be a last resort if she could not escape her Aunt Diana. Now it was to help her escape for a different reason.

Moving towards where she had sat earlier, she picked up the little goblet that was only half empty and then mixed the vile's contents into it. After setting the vile down, she picked up the goblet and lifted it towards the sky in a toast. "To all those who left too early in life… may we never more be separated…" and then she moved the cup to her lips.

She had only taken a sip when there was a knock on the door and someone calling her name. Her head stopped what it was doing and turned to face it. There was a voice on the other side that seemed to have been from a dream, crying out to her. Blinking a bit, not sure if it was the poison affecting her or just her imagination gone wild, she decided to ignore it and turned back to her drink. When the pounding and screaming refused to subside, she finally lowered the glass, and sluggishly made her way towards the door, slowly opening it. "Jen…"

Her breath disappeared and all her blood ran cold, as her knees gave out, and all she could utter was, "Jim…" before collapsing into the young captain's arms.

"Jen? Jen, speak to me," he pleaded, as he fell to one knee, holding her in his arms. His strength seemed to have left him, as he kneeled helplessly on the floor. Jim then reached out with his fingers to brush them up against her cheek and lips, only to find that they were becoming quite cold. "I didn't travel across the galaxy to finally find you and have you die in my arms upon seeing me," he cried. "Please… don't do this… Don't be Juliet."

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

A/N: The title of this chapter and the few references I make to Shakespeare's _Romeo and Juliet_, was done as my way of paying homage to the great love story and towards Tchaikovsky's piece "Romeo and Juliet- Fantasy Overture" which has been my inspiration, as I played it while writing the last two chapters. While the story itself may not have made its way towards Montressore, I do believe there would have been a story similar that would have been well known, as even in this day and age on Earth, we have many versions of the timeless love story.

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

So, Jim has survived, but has Taran? Is Jen gone for good? Keep on reading to find out.

Once again, please don't forget to leave a review.

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

Brazeau- Sorry I did not get to mention you in my last chapter. I had already submitted it before receiving the review. I am glad that you are enjoying the story.


	14. A Quest For Survival

Disclaimer: And Iger still owns all the rights to _Treasure Planet_.

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

Jim sat by Jen's bedside all throughout the night and all through the day, keeping a vigilant eye on her. Any time he would start to nod off, he would force himself to wake up, because he was not sure if anyone else would be there to check in on her. All he could do was wrap her in blankets to try to warm her and keep an eye on her vitals. Luckily she was still breathing after she had collapsed, but he still had no idea what had caused it. Either the shock of seeing him alive was too much for her, or, knowing her past, she had planned on taking her own life, but had luckily not made it that far… he hoped.

Hour, after painful hour passed by before Jim's tired eyes took note that Jen had finally moved some. She moved her head in his direction and faintly spoke, "Please, Jim… come back to me…"

"I have," he quietly responded.

At the sound of his voice, her eyes fluttered open to see his face. "You're… You're…" she tried to get out, in a complete shock at seeing him at her bedside.

"I'm alive… and so are you," he said with a smile, as he took her hand.

She smiled up at him, in a sad way. "I thought you were dead…"

The young captain laughed a bit. "Only if Taran had his way."

"Jim… his name wasn't Taran Ardent. That was Terrance Opulent," started Jen, and Jim gave her a quizzical look, asking for more. "His family and mine were very close, while he and I were growing up. In fact… at one point… he and I were betrothed."

Silence filled the room for a few moments before Jim could find his voice to speak. "Well, that explains why he wanted me dead so badly," he said with a small smile and a wink.

Jen tried to hide a small smile at the captain's joke, but failed. She then took the time to really get a look at her fiancé's appearance. She was so shocked at seeing him back that she did not take notice of the condition he was in. The worn look she had seen in her dreams was indeed a reality. His clothing was dirty and torn. There were a few bruises and cuts left on him that had not yet healed. Finally, the glimmer in his blue eyes seemed to have faded them almost dull to her now. He had been through more than even she could imagine, it had appeared. "Jim," she began, and once again got his attention. "What happened?"

The captain sat back, still holding her hand and thought about where to begin. He had been through so much, and he wanted nothing more than to forget about it, but he would not deny telling her something that she wanted to know. So, he took a deep breath then started, "Well, it's a long story, but after you and the others vanished in to the black hole…"

_Jim laid on the ground, staring at the empty deck where his friends were just a moment ago, before turning his attention back towards Taran, who was standing above him with his sword ready to implant the young captain. "I warned you about the solar flares," Taran yelled as he threw his sword down, only to miss because of the intensity one of the flares brought about, knocking him over to the side._

"_And it looks like they've taken my side!" called out Jim, as he managed to pull himself up and head over towards his former best friend. The anger boiled inside of him, and that was the one thing he used to keep himself from keeling over. He then reached out to grab Taran by the shoulders and shoved him into the railing. "Where did they go?"_

_Taran just smirked, as he looked Jim straight in the eye, with a soul piercing gaze. "I don't know, but I do intend to find out," and he lashed out at Jim, shoving him into a mast._

_The captain's head whipped into the wooden beam; which sent tons of pain shooting throughout his mind. It was all he could do to stifle a scream of pain. His eyes closed for just a moment to fixate on his purpose now at hand. To prevent anything more from happening to those he cared about the most. "Like hell you will!"he screamed, but before he could open his eyes, he felt a blade on his neck._

"_My blade seems to differ with your line of thought, captain," Taran stated, with a touch of disdain in the word "captain". He then pushed the blade harder into Jim's neck, as the young man moved his hands up to push the blade away._

"_Then allow me to fix that!" he got out behind clenched teeth, as he got the blade away and cut it down Taran's face._

_A blood curdling scream escaped Taran's mouth, as he grabbed where the blade went down on his face. It was this very distraction that Jim needed to make his escape, and he took off running, ignoring the blood coming down his neck. The only thing to stop Jim in his tracks was feeling the impale of the knife in his arm, that caught him completely off guard, and he sunk to his knees, in pain. "I missed!" he could hear Taran cry out. However, even with the initial miss his former comrade spoke of, the wound was still pretty bad to bring Jim to his knees. "No matter… I can still inflict pain before finishing you off," he added, now standing next to him, as he slowly drew the blade down Jim's arm where it had implanted, causing the spacer to cry out in pain._

_Jim leaned over, blood seeming to come down all over him, and he was not sure if it was his or Taran's, but he started to see his life flash before his eyes. It was all he could do to not cry out his last thoughts, as he sat there, believing his life was at the end. There were still so many things he had hoped to do with his life, and the one at the top of it all was returning to Jen and starting their new life together, if she could forgive him. "Forgive me, Jen…" was all that could escape his mouth, as he leaned over with his head almost touching the deck, waiting for the final blow._

"_Next time I see her, in her wedding dress at our wedding, I will be sure to tell her you said that," whispered Taran into Jim's ear, as he bent down to him. "Then again, I may just forget that and let her know how much of a coward you were, not even caring about what happened to her anymore," and he raised the blade above Jim._

_With that, Jim's eyes flashed open to see the sword lying in front of him, and with a quick movement, he grabbed it, turned over, and ran the sword through Taran's body. All the young spacer saw was his former friend's eyes grow, as he gasped for faint breaths, before growing still. He then flung the body off of him, and crawled over towards the rail, using it to lift himself up. It was then that dizziness took over, and the captain tumbled over the side through space and time into the gravitational pull of an oceanic planet._

_His body fell through the water, the liquid becoming a pale pink as it was stained with the blood on his body. Unconsciousness took over his being as he drifted along the soothing currents that seemed to be healing his scared body. It was only when the diluted color faded that a soft hand lay upon his shoulder, and silky hair swirled about him. His lips then felt another pair's being pressed against them, and life seemed to flow through his veins once again. Warmth began to fill his body, as he soon was able to kick his feet to move him up to the surface with some assistance._

_The next thing he knew was he was laying soaked on a sandy rock, and a hand was brushing his hair out of his face. He opened his eyes to see a young girl smiling at him. "It's not often we see young spacers in these waters," her angelic voice echoed._

"_Am I in a dream?" he asked, his mind bobbing around in his head._

"_Only if you want it to be…" the voice said, and the tone, which was one of angels, danced in his head._

"_No… no, it's not a dream," the captain said, as he looked around. "In my dream… she's here…"_

"_Your girlfriend?"_

_He just shook his head. "She's much more than that…"_

"_Where is she?" the young girl asked, as some water seemed to flip up from the spot where her feet were supposed to be._

"_I… I don't know… I have to find her," he said, as he tried to lean up._

_The girl just giggled. "You're not strong enough to move just yet."_

_Jim looked over at her, desperation in his eyes. "You don't understand… I have to find her now. I can't wait any longer."_

"_Then I know what will make you better faster," she giggled._

_He looked at her, unsure for a moment. This girl could not appear to be more than fourteen years old, how could she know of a remedy to make his strength return quicker? "What then?" he finally asked._

_She leaned forward and whispered in his ear, "A kiss."_

_The captain almost jumped back at the shock of her very suggestion. "No, you don't understand. I'm trying to get back to someone I love… and I don't think she'd want me kissing another girl," he tried to explain._

"_Oh, I think she'll understand," spoke the girl through a grin, as she pulled herself up on the rock and pressed her lips into his._

_In that one single moment, his heart leapt up to his throat as his lungs filled with a sweet fragrance that almost rejuvenated his body. His eyelids felt heavy after a moment, as his body slowly began to lean back on the rock. The next thing he felt was a light touch as her fingertips ran along his chest and sleep began to take him. _

"_Sleep well, young spacer," whispered the young woman, before placing a familiar object in his hand and laid it down across his chest. "When you awake, find your treasured possession and return home safely." With that, she kissed him once more then jumped back into the sea, her fin splashing water over his body, and disappeared into the fathoms below._

_It would be many hours before the bright light would wake up the young captain, and when he did, he found he was much like the young sixteen year old he was years before all of the adventures and their harms that took their toll on him. He looked at his arm to see that the scar was still there, but the bleeding had stopped. Yes, the marks were still on him, but he felt as if they had never existed. After a few moments, he took note that there was something in his hand that was not there when he fell asleep the night before. Jim turned it over in his hands to look it over and found an inscription on the back of it reading, "To my loving captain. May this always lead you home."_

_This little symbol was the compass that Jen had given him on Valentine's Day, and he held it close to his heart. "Oh, Jen… I'm finally going to be able to find you," he whispered, before kissing it and then opening it up. It had been years since he had used one of these in the Academy, and now he was about to put his knowledge to the test. He saw the arrow spinning, and when it stopped, he began his journey back to the ones he loved…_

"… I spent the rest of the month traveling from one space port to another, following the direction that your compass led me in, until I was able to get back to Montressore," Jim explained to Jen, who was close to sleep, but trying her hardest to remain awake.

"And Terrence is…. dead?" she sleepily question.

"Yeah… yeah, he's gone," Jim said, as he held her hand closer to him and leaned forward to brush a strand of hair out of her face.

Jen just smiled and looked up at him, so glad to be able to see him again. "Stay with me tonight?" she asked.

He returned her smile and leaned closer towards her. "Of course," and he pulled out the engagement ring. "As long as you promise to keep this on your finger."

A little laugh escaped her lips. "Forever," was all she could say, as he slipped the ring onto her finger. She then looked up at him and asked, "Hold me?"

There was no need for him to answer as he laid down next to Jen and wrapped his arms around her. He then leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead followed by her lips, as she gently dozed off into a peaceful slumber. "I love you, Jen..." he whispered, as he too fell into a serene sleep.

The next morning, Silver arrived to check on Jen, and when he went to knock on the door, it slowly swung open. "Hmm…" he let slide between his lips as he wandered into her living room, wondering what could have happened. Surely she did not leave, given her state the last few times he checked in on her. He then let his cyborg eye sweep around the premise to see if there was anything unusual that could lead him to a clue. His eye first landed on the goblet that was left on the tabletop, and he moved over towards it. "It can't be…" he uttered, as he picked it up then noticed the little vile next to it. Quickly he put the drink down and then lifted the vile up to his nose. Taipanonium venom. A sip could render a being un-conscience in just moments, while a gulps could…

His thoughts never completed as his eye started moving about the room quickly. It would have been impossible for the girl to have made it very far if she had ingested any of the poison. She had to have remained inside the house or possibly made it just outside her front door… unless someone found her first. After several moments, he noticed a vase knocked over by the stairwell and quickly made his way up it towards the only open doorway.

The old cyborg's breathing was deep as he made his way through the door frame of her room and froze in his tracks at what he saw. In the bed he not only found Jen, who appeared to be in no more than a deep sleep, but also a familiar friend. A smile then came to his mouth as a tear made its way down his cheek. "Jimbo…" he uttered as he wiped the tear away. "By the powers that be…. I knew that lass was what you needed."

Hearing another voice in the room, Jim moved his head, starting to come to after his long sleep that he needed. "Ugh… Silver?" he groaned, as if still in a dream.

"Yes, lad… I'm here," the cyborg responded with a smile.

The captain's eyes flashed open, as he quickly sat up to see his best friend. "Silver!" he shouted, as he then jumped off the bed and ran to give his companion a hug.

"Oh, lad…" Silver began as he hugged him back. "We thought we'd never see ya again."

Jim leaned back and wiped his face to keep the tears from showing. "You didn't think I was going to give up without a fight?" he spoke with a reassuring smile.

With a smile and a shake of his head, Silver responded, "That be the last thing I would 'ave expected from you, Jimbo."

"I also had a little help getting back," said Jim, as he pulled out the compass, and Silver carefully took it, looking it over.

He took a good long look at the back with the inscription, and a sad smile came to his face. "I knew that lass be the best thing ta happen to ya," he said.

Jim then took a seat on the bed, taking Jen's hand in his again. "She is…"

Silver then took a seat in the chair and looked over at the two of them, scared of what he knew he had to tell his friend. "Jimbo, when you came home… did she seem… different?"

The captain looked down at Jen, remembering her opening the door and collapsing in his arms. "When I saw her… she fainted."

His fears were then confirmed, and the old cyborg looked away for a moment. "When I came to check on her, I took notice of a drink and vile that contained Taipanonium venom," he started, and Jim's head swung around to face him, fear in his eyes. "I t'ink she drank some of it."

"No… but she woke up!" he cried, and then turned his attention back to his fiancé. "She's just sleeping…"

Silver then stood up and walked around to the other side of the bed to check on her. "Aye, lad, she is," he started, as he leaned up. "She must not have gotten much," and Jim gave a sigh of relief. "Just keep an eye on her."

A smile came to the spacer's lips. "You know I will."

It was then that Jen started to wake up, still thinking she was in a dream at the sight of not only Jim but Silver. "What's… what's going on?" she tiredly asked.

"I just came to check up on ya, lass, like I said I would," Silver responded with a smile. "But, it seems I was beaten 'ere."

Jim just shrugged with a smile. "Guilty."

Jen could not help but laugh a little. "He arrived just in time," and she leaned up to kiss him.

"Don't I always?" he jokingly asked, which brought a laugh from Silver and Jen.

"Well, I best be heading back to the Inn. With all the good news I be bringing, I'm sure you'll both be receiving lots of company," explained Silver, as he started for the door.

"Wait…" called out Jen, stopping him in his tracks. "Maybe we should give them some more good news?"

"More good news?" asked Jim, completely confused.

"How about a date for the wedding?" she said with a smile.

"Whoa… right now? But you just…" started Jim, completely caught off guard.

"Jim…" she interrupted, as she put her hand to his cheek. "I don't need a big, fancy wedding. Just something simple with all the people we care about there."

"Don'tcha t'ink you should rest a little more?" asked Silver, as caught off guard as Jim was.

"Next weekend then," started Jen. "By then, Jim and I would have both been able to rest, and…" she turned her gaze to look deep into Jim's eyes. "… I don't want to spend anymore of my life separated from Jim, as I already have."

It was that last statement that brought a change of heart to the captain's eyes, as they softened their look. He knew what she wanted, and he wanted the same thing from her… to finally be together. A nod of approval then came from him, as he said, "I agree. Let's do it."

"Well, I can't be arguing with the both of ya," added Silver with a smile. "I'd be happy to pass on the news," and he stepped out into the hallway then poked his head back. "Welcome home, Jimbo."

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

With Jim's amazing story of how he survived, it would only seem right that the couple finally get what they want. Stay tuned for the conclusion to _One Last Hope_.

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

TinyDancer365- I've granted your wish, and I'm so glad to hear that you like the couple. It's always a challenge for a writer to come up with an endearing couple that the audience will want to stay together, especially in a fanfic, when the one character already existed. Thank you for all your kind words and I hope you've enjoyed this chapter.


	15. Is this a dream?

Disclaimer: Aside from my own writing and my own characters, Iger still owns all the rights to _Treasure Planet_.

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

There were many a congratulations and hugs passed around over the next several days as the love birds were visited by their friends and family thrilled to see Jim home, safe and sound, and that he and Jen were still planning on getting married. The only thing to stop in their celebration was the worry the group had for the two that had been through so much. In fact, the captain and his fiancé almost appeared as different people. Jim would be caught staring out into the vast space with a look of want of something more, as his scares burned and sent him into a different kind of reality from his past. Meanwhile, Jen would randomly stop, and start breathing as if she were in a nightmare. It would only be when someone would take her hand that she would ask the same question, "Is this a dream?" It seemed reality no longer existed for the couple, as they both questioned the very fabric of what was real and what was not.

When the day finally arrived, Sarah waited in Jen's room, as the young girl changed into the wedding dress. "I hope it fits you. I've always wanted to pass on my wedding dress to someone special," she started, as Jen emerged in the floor-length, loosely fitted white gown. "Oh, Jen, you look beautiful…" Sarah gasped, as she ran over to hug her future daughter-in-law.

Jen hugged her back, burying her face in Sarah's shoulder. "Thank you so much, Mrs. Hawkins…" she whispered.

"Please, call me 'Mom'," Sarah stated, and Jen looked up at her with a smile. She then moved her hand to dry a tear that had not yet fallen. "I've… added a rose to the shoulder strap for the name you first told Jim about," she quietly got out, as her fingers went over the delicate accent with beading. "You are going to shine brighter than any star in the sky today."

The smile widened on Jen's lips, before she gasped for a breath and became lost in thought. Her body appeared motionless, but the expression in the heiress' eyes was un-canny. She was lost in her own reality.

"Gwen, are you alright?" asked Sarah, as she placed her hand gently on Jen's cheek.

A quick jolt brought Jen back to reality, as she reached up and gripped Sarah's hand among deep breaths. "Is this a dream?"

Sarah just shook her head, worried for the girl, "No… No, this is real. You're getting married today to Jim."

"I… I'm getting married…" she said, trying to focus.

"Yes…" Sarah confirmed.

Jen just looked up into her eyes, tears forming then wrapped her arms around her future mother-in-law, and sobbed. "I'm so sorry… I don't know what's wrong with me…"

"Shh… it's alright, Gwen. Things will get better for you. Just take it one day at a time," spoke up Sarah, trying to comfort her.

"Ahh…." Jim cried out, as he grabbed his arm in burning pain. The scars felt as if they were on fire.

"Are you alright, lad?" questioned Silver with worry, as he came up behind him, fixing his jacket, and then placing his hands on Jim's shoulders.

He kept his eyes tightly shut, trying to ride out the terrible pain. Deep in his heart, Jim knew that these scars and their pains were never going to go away, and he did not want to worry anyone over something so trivial. After all, it was not life threatening, just a pain that could be ridden out if necessary. "I… I'm fine…" he forced out through gritted teeth.

Silver just looked him over, not believing a word he said. "You don't look fine. Yer not 'aving second thoughts, are ya?" he asked in all seriousness.

"No!" Jim yelled out. "No… I'd never have second thoughts about marrying her," he said more calmly. "She's the one right decision I know I've made," he spoke as he looked into the mirror, re-adjusting his uniform. His eyes were the only thing betraying him, as he tried to keep a proper stance.

"Jimbo. Is there somet'in you aren't tellin' me?"

A thousand words wanted to fly out of his mouth. The epic battle he faced with his former best friend. The near death experience as he had fallen through space and water. The rescue on that strange planet from the young girl. The fight to return home. Of course, the only thing to come out was, "No… you know everything."

Silver decided to not press the matter anymore. If the boy wanted to keep his secrets, he would respect him… for now. After he got married, that would be a whole other game. "Just remember, if ya need to talk, I'll be 'ere for ya," he reassured with a smile.

This made Jim relax a little, and he turned around to give the old cyborg a hug. "Thanks, Silver." Maybe he would one day tell him all about what had happened to him, but for now, he just wanted to clear his mind of all of that. He had fought hard for this day to happen, and he did not want anything to ruin it, especially something as silly as an old scar.

"Yer growin' up, lad, right before me very eyes," he said, as he lifted Jim's chin to look at him, and there was a tear in his eyes. It was as if he was seeing his own son get married, and he could not be any prouder of the young captain than he was right now. Then with a quick wipe of his eye, he cleared his throat before he could get choked up. "Now, let's get you married," and he quickly ushered Jim out of the door.

As the young captain emerged from the inside, he quickly straightened out his uniform, fixing the collar. He looked around to see that a few flowers had been strung and attached around the area and a little gazebo had been set up in the backyard of the Dames mansion. It was very small with only the ones that they cared for most in the world, present. A smile then came to his lips as he saw Doppler and Amelia sitting off to the side with their children. That was the life he was destined to have. He was soon going to be as happy as the captain and doc.

"Ready, Jimmy?" shouted B.E.N. as he jumped in front of Jim, throwing off the young man's concentration.

"Yeah… Yeah, I am, B.E.N." replied Jim. The crazy robot did not even dampen his good mood nor the thoughts he just had in his mind.

Jim then tried to brush past the robot, as Morph flew up and brushed against his cheek, chirping away as he always did in bright spirits. This made the captain's smile grow ever more, as he petted the little shape shifter. All thoughts he ever had of the last voyage were dashed away with these little acts, and the burning pain he once had, seemed to have disappeared all together. Maybe it had been a case of the nerves and all he needed was the comfort of those around him to assure him that he was making the right decision. It was only when he felt a hand take his own, did reality come back down, as he turned to see the owner.

"You didn't think I wasn't going to have one word with you before you got married," spoke up Sarah.

His mom. The only family he had, had for many years. With him getting married, she would once again be all alone. Choosing between two women he loved more than life was the most painful choice he would ever have to make. But all of these thoughts soon started to melt away when he saw her smile. Deep down he knew that his mother adored Jen, and she would be fully supportive of the decision he made. It just felt like he was re-living the night of the engagement all over again.

"Oh, Jim… I just can't believe you're getting married," she said, as she brought a hand to her mouth, trying to keep from getting too emotional.

"Don't worry, Mom. I'll always be with you," he quietly reassured her, and then pulled her into his arms. It would be the final embrace with his mother before she would no longer be the only Mrs. Hawkins in his life. The last gesture to remind her that he would always be her son and nothing would ever change that.

Then with much force, she finally was able to pry herself away from Jim, even though it was the hardest thing she ever had to do. She had wanted that moment to last forever; just her and her son. The thought of sharing him with another was very difficult, but she knew he had chosen the right person. She then brushed away a tear that had been threatening to fall. "Well, I believe you're going to have the best surprise you've ever seen in just a few minutes," she managed to get out, before hastily moving to her seat.

Jim then slowly made his way to the front, as Silver stepped beside Jim, waiting for the ceremony to begin. The captain looked down to see his mom sitting right in front of him, keeping her head down and trying to keep herself composed. She then looked up for a brief moment at him, trying to hide any tears, and he mouthed, "I love you," to her. This small gesture brought a smile to her lips as she mouthed, "I love you too," back to him, then touched her fingers to her lips and blew him a kiss. A smile came to his lips as he watched her, then he moved his head up, as his eyes caught sight of what appeared to be an angel coming from around the corner towards him.

His breath caught in his lungs, as he watched Jen slowly walk towards him with the veil down and a bouquet of exquisite flowers in her hand. Time had once again stood still for the captain, much as it had done so many a time on the S.S. Audacity on the way to Golden Sun. It was in these moments that reminded him what really counted. It was just him and her, soon to be together forever.

As she came up to his side, Jim took her hands in his, and looked through her veil into her eyes. In them he saw all of the adventures and struggles they had shared to get to where they were now. Standing before him was not that girl, who he had caught by the cliffs, but a young lady, who grew up to not only love life but love another. It was the impossible task that had been achieved, and it was a cause for celebration… after the wedding.

"Dearly beloved, we 'ave gathered 'ere today ta join tagether Captain James Pleaides Hawkins and Miss. Gweneth Jennifer Dames," started Silver, interrupting Jim's thoughts.

The young spacer looked up at his closest friend, as he performed their ceremony more grateful to him than he could ever express. As a captain, Silver was able to perform the ceremony, which not only meant more to Jim, but it also helped for the less civilians to know. Being as Jim and Jen were known far and wide because of their stations and their celebrity status from the HaloNews, they felt that the fewer amounts who knew of their wedding, the more meaning it would have to the both of them.

"Do you, James Pleaides Hawkins take this woman to be your wife, ta have and ta 'old until death do you part?" asked Silver, once again breaking Jim's thoughts.

Jim smiled at Jen, as he slid a ring on her finger. "I do."

"Do you, Gweneth Jennifer Dames take this man to be your husband, ta have and ta 'old until death do you part?" Silver then asked Jen.

She like-wise returned the smile to Jim, as she slid a ring on his finger. "I do."

A grin came to the old cyborg's lips, as he then spoke, "Then by the powers of the universe, I now finally pronounce ya, 'usband and wife. Jimbo, lad, ye may now kiss yer bride."

Beaming, the young captain then removed the veil, and leaned into to kiss his bride. The applause from his friends and family was a faded sound in the background, as all his focus was on Jen standing before him. His happiness could only be measured on a scale of a supernova, and nothing could penetrate it. That is until Jen broke away suddenly in a gasp, and his hand instantly went to her cheek in worry. "Jen… Jen, are you alright?"

The young girl took several quick breaths before looking deep in his eyes before asking, "Is this a dream?"

Jim gave her a comforting smile before slowly brushed back a loose strand of her hair, looking back into her eyes. "No… but, if it is, I'd wish for it to never end," he whispered before leaning in to kiss her again.

ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº

And there you have the ending to _One Last Hope_. I hope you have all enjoyed it, and as you probably figured from this closing chapter, I have set up for one more story. So, keep a look out for the last part of Jim and Jen's story coming soon.

Thank you all for your very sweet comments, once again.


End file.
